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Firefox Annoyance

I’m not sure what causes this semi-regular bug in Firefox but it’s driving me crazy. Basically every so often Firefox not longer visually responds to mouse or keyboard actions in the main window. If I change tabs, I can see the page name switch at the top of the window, but nothing seems to be happening in the main space. I have to quit the browser and start again… several times per day at least.

I tend to keep Google Reader, GMail and a few others going at all times, but have seen it with just GR open as well. Anyone else get this?

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Free Agent

I am officially a free agent.

I am currently considering career options and feel like this is the ideal point for me to make a change. I’m looking for something that will enable my passion for technology and my experience in marketing to live nicely together — hopefully in a highly entrepreneurial environment. I’m not sure where it will all net out, but am looking forward to the journey. If you know of anything that might be a good fit, please let me know!

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Cosmetic Changes

Made some cosmetic changes to the site today. Feeling pretty good about it so far… I was getting tired of the old theme and have spent some time playing with the new settings and getting everything just where I want it. Please let me know if something is acting up.

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Wired Test

Happy Browsing!

Wired Test started with a simple goal: to be the most authoritative guide to the universe of gear and gadgets. From the hottest of cell phones to the latest in hybrid cars, we scoured the landscape to find the new, the essential, and the just plain cool. [Wired Test]

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Yahoo! News – You Witness

Yahoo and Reuters are launching YouWitness tomorrow and it should be interesting to see how it pans out. This looks like it will be a pretty high profile move into crowdsourcing with two substantial partners. I hope Yahoo and Reuters integrate this with their main news sections rather than simply creating yet another island of information within the peanut butter jar.

User generated content may start finding itself in new places as well as the NYT is a pretty large consumer of Reuters feeds and the critical mass at Yahoo might be just what the doctor ordered to pepper in new context to breaking stories.

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ShoZu vs. Mobup

Stefan from Ring Nokia thinks Shozu needs to watch their back now that Mobup has been released. I can’t say that I agree… In fact I can’t see this threatening Shozu in any way. The only feature Shozu does not have is the GPS integration which granted is quite cool, but far from critical.

Where Shozu shines is with native camera use – it’s seemless and the last thing I want to do it overcomplicate opening the shutter by first having to open an application to take a picture. You also get full access to your gallery of images for uploading later if you like and of course the fact that it runs as a service so when you snap a pic or shoot a video you can upload it on the spot which is totally kick-ass. You can also use the full picture size (vs. mobup maxing out at 640×480) which is great considering I can shoot 3.2MP.

One other key point of difference, pictures I take in Shozu actually upload. I tried three images and all failed to leave the N73.

Shozu now also supports video which means you can upload (less than 4MB) files right to YouTube if you like. I previous noted some S60 photoblog apps, and Meaning was one that could do the GEO Tag via GPS, but unfortunately does not work in S60v3.

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Boing Boing: MPAA: it’s OK to copy movies if you keep them in a vault

A classic double standard… whatever they need to work for them. The MPAA is the worst of the worst.

MPAA: it’s OK to copy movies if you keep them in a vault

During the Q&A at last night’s screening of Kirby Dick’s “This Film is Not Yet Rated,” Dick recounted the story of how his film was unlawfully duplicated by the MPAA’s ratings board. He submitted one copy of his movie to the MPAA, extracting a promise that no more copies would be made — the MPAA’s own anti-piracy materials describe making a single unauthorized duplication as an act of piracy.

Once it got out that the MPAA had made its “pirated” copy of Dick’s movie, one of the MPAA’s lawyers called Dick up to admit that the cartel had indeed made an infringing copy, but not to worry, “The copy is safe in my vault.”

At this point, I raised my hand and asked if Dick thought anyone caught downloading movies from the Internet could get off the hook by saying, “Don’t worry, I keep my copies safe in my vault?” [Boing Boing]

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Drive-in

Lifehacker’s Download of the Day is an app called Drive-in which at first glace seems like it’s pretty slick – and don’t get me wrong visually it is. The idea is not new, archive your DVD collection to enable ease of access on your computer. Longtime readers here will recall Matinee which is still a very simple way to access your archived DVD (video_ts) folders.

My beef with Drive-in is three-fold. First, it cannot import existing files you’ve already archived. At roughly 30min per DVD I can’t see running the archival process again for all but the slickest of upgrades. Second, they claim Front Row support, but it’s better to simply just open the damn Apple DVD player based on their instructions for getting it to work:

  1. Eject all DVDs and mounted DVD images by selecting them in the Finder, and dragging them to the Trash icon in the dock.
  2. Launch Drive-in.
  3. Choose File->Open DVD Case… to open the desired movie.
  4. Select the DVD image that you would like to play from the list on the right, and press the Play button in the toolbar. This will insert the DVD image, launch DVD Player, and begin playing your movie.
  5. Bring up Front Row by using the Apple Remote Control, or by holding down the Command key and pressing the Escape key. You can now navigate to your DVD and play it.

If you choose to even try this, realize it will run $50 when released from beta. No thanks. Matinee is $10 shareware and works with standard (and existing) archival files. I can easily pass on Front Row support…

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Nokia Communication Suite

Andy points to a very cool Nokia announcement coming from NokiaWorld today… The Nokia Communication Suite!

“The use of broadband Internet access for voice communication is here to stay, and Nokia recognizes that traditional operators – both mobile and fixed – can swim in these waters as well.

“At the same time, IP gives operators better control over how their network resources are used – an important consideration as multimedia services proliferate and data traffic grows.”

By using IP, internet telephony can support calls, video sharing, video calls, instant messaging, presence, file sharing, and other multimedia services.

With Nokia Communication Suite, users can make and receive VoIP calls and other services from their PCs using their existing mobile number. Calls to their mobile number can be answered with either their mobile or PCsoftphone.

Operators can offer both PC-PC calls, calls to mobile phones, or calls to traditional telephones at competitive rates and can bundle additional services as well.

Other services can be charged to same account as the subscriber’s fixed or mobile calls, simplifying their billing and avoiding the need to set up separate, pre-paid accounts for VoIP service. Nokia’s Communication Suite can also allow travelling subscribers to avoid roaming charges for mobile calls when abroad. [Computing.co.uk]

I hope this is not carrier dependent and something we can just use… oh and Mac support please!

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Nokia On Board GPS

If you’ve yet to consider how helpful it might be to have an on board GPS system in your mobile, check this out…

Sure there’s a small glitch at the end, but this is a soon to be released product that will most certainly improve. I like that Nokia has built in a content store beyond just the installed POI which should make for some nice incremental sales as people travel about.

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How To: Update Nokia N73 Firmware to Music Edition

Only for the very brave… The NokiaBlog gives a run down on how to update the firmware on your stock N73 to make it work like the music edition.

I like my N73 way too much to chance this. Firmware updates are already hairy enough with warnings like don’t touch the phone or cable at the risk of bricking your phone. I already have one bricked device and it’s enough for me.

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Got Gear Will Travel

As I read Oliver’s post on MobileCrunch, I realized that I am not alone in packing gadgets and accessories for a trip. As I packed for my recent trip to Iceland I geared up for the adventure specifically (mainly with International adapters), but actually carry a similar load on most days. Here’s the core gear I brought along:

  • Nokia E61 – My main work device. I use it for Exchange sync via MailforExchange, calls, browsing and the occasional VOIP call. I use the mobile Gmail client to check my personal mail as well as
  • Nokia N73 – I swap my SIM to this baby for my personal use and actually consider it the current champ in Nokia’s arsenal of devices. I love the size, camera and connectivity – amazing reception! On my trip I bailed on the E61 once I realized that there was not an abundance of WiFi (as in none) and used this to snap pics which were then auto-uploaded to Flickr via Shozu.
  • Nokia N93 – The camera is definitely better than the N73 and takes larger size images and videos, but the size is less comfortable in my pocket. Also as a Cingular customer, I am lacking the 850 band which enables far better reception on the N73. I do really like what this device can do, but given the choice as I have been, I prefer the N73. I still brought it thinking I would have a chance to do some video capture as we toured around…
  • Nokia BH-800 – My Bluetooth headset
  • Nokia 770 Internet Tablet – This is one of my favorite devices. While I wish there was a slide out keyboard, it’s great for what I use it for which is reading news feeds, listening to streaming audio, reading email (short replies via stylus) and VOIP calls via Gizmo — I was able to call my wife from the airport in Reykjavik through Gizmo which worked great.. It’s quite small considering all that it packs and can easily connect via bluetooth to any of my phones or use WiFi when it’s around.
  • Nokia LD1W GPS – Awesome for Wayfinder on the phones as well as Maemo Mapper on the 770
  • Nikon D70s – I knew going to Iceland was not something you get to do every week so I brought this excellent camera along to capture some high res keepers.
  • Nintendo DS – Games!
  • 60GB 5G iPod – I actually watched my first movie from the ITMS on the way home… Cars.

I recently removed both the N70 and N90 from my backpack which I don’t actually find myself using much these days but had them in there for comparison with some of the newer NSeries units. I also carry a pretty vast array of cables and connectors and a Sprint EVDO card along with a Powerbook (no work issue MacBookPro yet).

As you might expect, I’m used to getting stopped at security and having everything swabbed for explosives. I don’t think the TSA appreciates seeing so much gear at one time in a single bag. Interestingly one of my colleagues was traveling with two laptops and did not get stopped so I’ve concluded it’s the cables and smaller things that make them nervous. I’m sure it’s odd to see someone with 3+ phones and an internet tablet (a what!?) but it’s all normal for me… 😉

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Nokia – New Year 2006

Just saw this on the Nokia website… sounds like a killer party!

On December 31st, Nokia will welcome the New Year in unique style – by connecting millions of music lovers from around the world as they count down the final minutes of 2006. Nokia New Year’s Eve, a global music event stretching across four continents, will feature a number of international artists including The Black Eyed Peas and Scissor Sisters to entertain audiences at New Year’s celebrations from Hong Kong to Rio de Janeiro. Those unable to attend in person can experience the party via television or the internet. To orchestrate this unique global celebration, Nokia has enlisted the services of Harvey Goldsmith CBE, the producer of Live Aid and Live8.

Nokia New Year’s Eve will travel from east to west, starting in Hong Kong’s Ocean Terminal, followed by Mumbai’s Andheri Stadium, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro and rounding off the night in New York. [Nokia

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As if they know….


As soon as Thanksgiving passed the Turkeys returned to our yard… We’ve lived in the house for about a year and a half but it’s still a bit odd to see Turkeys roaming about when you look out the window.

A few more shots on Flickr.

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Gmail mobile updated…

Just doing a bit of email and noticed that Gmail now has a call action option as a reply… a nice and actually expected addition considering you do it from the phone.

I did not know apps could be updated automatically — pretty cool.

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Things I learned in Iceland

  • The people are very nice…
  • There are only about 300,000 of them
  • It’s apparently temperate most of the time and had not really snowed since like 1998
  • You’d never believe that looking at my pictures since there’s currently a ton of snow everywhere and it’s pretty damn cold
  • The flight time is similar to heading to the west coast but…
  • The 5 hour time difference and considerably less sunlight make that first day a bear
  • There’s a great deal more to see and experience than I was able to get to in a day and a half … volcanos, hot springs, whales and of course the aurora borealis. I’m hoping for a next time if my business pans out.

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