a multi-tasked stream of consciousness or perhaps just emails to myself
Just joined Radar.net. If you know me and want to share access to photos, drop a line.
Radar is a private photo sharing network for friends. By default, all your images are set to private and only viewable by Friends you set. The Java app rocks on my N91…
technorati tags:radar.net, photography, moblog, Nokia, n91, ns
The Crystal Method have released a track designed for runners and the new Nike – iPod system. Obviously anyone can listen and buy the music, but I think it really speaks to the commitment of both companies to this partnership. Custom content with a focus on the application of what they both bring is an excellent move and hopefully we’ll see more stuff like this.
Eventhough I don’t currently run for exercise, it’s quite tempting to want this type of connection between my Nano and a pair of sneakers (or Trainers for UK readers).
technorati tags:apple, Nike, iPod, Marketing, Music, content
While I really dig my N91, I’ve been frustrated that I have not able to have my full contact list because I could not add the phone to iSync. As you might imagine without your contact list dialing and caller ID might be a tad more challenging.
After much searching I was able to locate a few tips and a piece of software which I think finally did the trick, though nothing worked the first time and even after a few syncs there are some quirks.
If you are feeling brave, you can manually edit a file buried well within the iSync application package. It’s not hard, but there’s always risk when you hack / alter a how things came from the manufacturer.
Be sure you start, make sure iSync is not running or syncing in the background. If you’ve already paired your phone and tried to get this working, you might want to remove the pairing from both computer and phone and start fresh — a reboot might even help.
You’ll need to control-click on iSync to Show Package Contents. You’ll notice a new window opens and you can begin to explore… here’s the exact location you’ll need to end up:
/Applications/iSync.app/Contents/PlugIns/ApplePhoneConduit.syncdevice/Contents/PlugIns/PhoneModelsSync.phoneplugin/Contents/Resources/MetaClasses.plist
The MetaClasses file should be open in a text editor so you don’t mistakenly add any strange characters. I’m using TextWrangler. I suggest making a backup of the original before you rush to open and edit it. When you have the file open you’ll see it’s really just a massive XML file. I’ve inserted a piece of code for the N91 at line 3136 which is right after the section on the N-Gage and was the last Nokia phone listed. It seemed logical to me… your mileage may vary. Simply paste the following in and hit save:
com.nokia.N91
Identification
com.apple.cgmi+cgmm
Nokia+Nokia N91
Nokia+Nokia N91-1
com.apple.gmi+gmm
Nokia+Nokia N91
Nokia+Nokia N91-1
InheritsFrom
family.com.nokia.serie60v2.3
Services
ServiceName
com.apple.model
ServiceProperties
ModelIcon
NOKN91.tiff
ModelName
N91
If you’d like the actual Phone icon as indicated in the code, here it is (option+click to save it directly). UPDATE – I’ve also just posted my metaclasses.plist file (option+click to save) for people having trouble. I’d recommend you move yours to a safe location before replacing with mine.
I did this before I tried the plugin since this is essentially the same trick that allowed my N70 and N90 to work in iSync, but it did not seem to happen for me. I actually tried pairing my phone a few times to now avail and finally made the move to purchase the plugins…
For the easier and probably more mass recommendation, I’d suggest paying to purchase a copy of the iSync plugins from nova media. Installation is not complete for the N91 until you run the 2 other packages that appear in your Documents folder once the main piece is installed. There is no warning or suggestion to install these, but I found that things worked after I installed both. The installers (and the uninstaller for the plugins) are located within your ~/Documents folder.
/Users/*yourusername*/Documents/nova media phone plugins/SyncML-Version for Communicator+Smartphone /
/Users/*yourusername*/Documents/nova media phone plugins/Nokia-Agent-Version for Communicator+Smartphone/
A gentle warning — Nova media could definitely use a few lessons in customer support. For starters, they might want to try answering email to support. I know it’s the World Cup and they are in Germany, but perhaps an auto-responded would be nice if business has to shut down when games are on.
I spent some good time searching after failing a few times and discovered that there is a another application from nova media (Free, but not on their website anywhere!) called Sync Repair, that I think repairs permissions on the MetaClasses.plist. Once I ran this I was able to add the N91 and begin to Sync!
This was a considerable effort for me as there is no consistent way to get this to work until Apple natively supports the phone in iSync which as of today’s Mac OS X update to 10.4.7 (and iSync 2.3) is still not there. I hope you find this helpful – happy syncing!
Update — Nova Media has updated their plugin for iSync 2.3. So far it’s the same for me. Works mainly – with an error as noted above on some syncs.
Technorati Tags: iSync, N-Series, N70, N90, N91, Nokia, Sync
I am currently commuting home on the train to Westchester listening to a Podcast on the N91. At the same time I am using the phone as a modem for my MacBook Pro as I needed to quickly send a file which had already been sent via Exchange using Outlook Web Access. Since I was connected already I decided to check out a few feeds and decided what the heck, I’ll fire up Opera Mini back on the phone which amazingly still works quite well all on my GPRS connection. As I started to type this entry, I felt the familiar buzzing of a new email arriving in my inbox via N91 to top it all off.
Not so bad for a pocket-able system.
As I mentioned earlier in the week – I really dig the N91. It’s pretty hefty, but without heft. What I mean is that is looks like a larger phone, but still maintains a relatively sleek form factor and is quite easy to pocket in jeans or shorts. I’ve been pushing the device pretty hard and so far I am very pleased with what I’ve discovered.
My main gripe is that S60 is a tad more complex than I would like – at least compared to Palm OS which is my reference for smartphone / PDA / Handheld usage. On top of the complexity, quite a few applications are not yet available for the 3rd edition on which the N91 runs… A few key menus are hidden well within the system and you should definitely spend some time reading or at least scanning through the manual. I’m not really a big manual reader, but I found it actually revealed a few tricks which I wanted to know like the connections manager – which lets you define both WLAN and cellular data connect points as well as define when you want to use them – though what would be killer is a profile that lets you configure this like a location manager. I don’t need to change my sound settings much and would really prefer to see something that lets my data access be configured by where I might happen to be. There’s no reason to use cellular data when I have wifi at home for example. The way I do it now involves a manual select as apps connect which is not horrible but could easily be skipped if I had chosen “home” once.
Push email via IMAP rocks. Of course you are left to reply through T9, rather than a full keyboard, but it works very well – even just using the built-in client. I gave Profimail a try and while it seems like a very robust application, I can’t justify the 30 bucks after a very limited trial. It has many more features than the built-in messaging does and is really more like a pocket version of a desktop client (but in a good way). If you set the email app to check on an interval, it will do so politely and reliably as you ask. Messages or headers flow in as you would expect. You can leave the application running as well which enables a real-time experience if you feel more compelled towards OCD email reading. 😉
On the IM front, Agile Messenger rocks through all your clients simultaneously. I run Yahoo, AIM, MSN and GTalk with no issue all at the same time.
Opera Mini is a must have application if you plan to spend anytime in a browser. Again the built-in tool works well, but once you compare the display, speed and capabilities of Opera Mini there’s no going back. My issue here is that there does not seem to be any way to set Opera to be the default browser. Instead I find myself in both if I click a link a text message or email… seems like a careless omission, or a rather inane UI issue if the pref is hidden that well. I’ve been reading my RSS through Newsgator Mobile which works amazingly well on either GPRS or WLAN.
Nokia’s Podcasting application is a great addition and I’ve been jamming to Dubwise and Groovetek Chillout throughout my experiences this weekend. Switching to wifi lets the download speed through which makes life simple as it should be… I’ve also just discovered Nokia’s Internet Radio application which let’s you stream shoutcast stations – Groove Salad… check!
I’ve captured a bunch of photos and even shot a fair bit of video all of which I am quite pleased. I’d love for Shozu to release their photoblog software on s60 3rd Edition so I could upload to Flickr as I go rather than dropping back to Lifeblog, which is nice, but as a Mac user, I won’t be syncing to a desktop anytime soon… It certainly let’s me upload to Flickr as I want which is great. I like the UI as well actually on the phone, but don’t feel myself gravitating towards it much.
Having a 4GB drive in your pocket connected to a reliable camera is amazing. I was shooting some video of my daughter Hannah on Saturday afternoon when she decided to break into song and realized that as long as my battery kept running, I could easily shoot for an hour! I know the intended purpose here was to be a great music device and I think the N91 is very strong in this category, but it’s not going to replace my iPod – mainly because it does not sync to iTunes and even then it would probably replace the Nano rather than my larger 60GB version… Nokia does make software to connect to iTunes on Mac, but it never worked for me.
Overall, the N91 is an extremely solid device. In one smooth operator, you get robust multimedia capabilities, awesome connectivity, all the communications you can handle and essentially no storage issues to worry about.
Now, if the N91 was was only supported by iSync, it’d be nothing but smooth sailing…
Comcast Tech Falls Asleep On Guy’s Couch – Gizmodo
technorati tags:comcast, customer_service
I thought it would be vaguely interesting to shoot some video of my walk to work. I always get my New York on a bit while in Grand Central as it feels like you have to be aggressive in order to stay on the line you want to walk. Way too many people wander aimlessly or simply cut in your path. Yesterday, was not a particularly busy day, but if nothing else you’ll get a sense of video quality of the N91. I simply held it mid-chest and walked from Grand Central to my office a few blocks away.
So today was the first full day of use with the N91, and I have to say I really like it — a lot! I still think the N70 is the most pocket-able of the NSeries I’ve tried and that’s a very good thing, but the extra size (which is really not that bad) in the N91 offers a considerably greater bang.
For starters, you’ve got a 4GB (yes Giga) harddrive which can be use to store apps, data, photos, video and of course music. The N91 is intended as a Music Phone – ahem, excuse me, Multimedia Computer. With 4GB of storage and a great (almost iPod) UI for music
you can easily see the value in carrying a single device.
I had just commented to someone that I could not see switching to a music phone over an iPod and while that largely still stands after my first day with the unit, it’s making a strong case for why one-piece is something to think about.
I will definitely post more as I spend (and have) more time with the N91, but for now here’s a quick list of cool stuff inside:
One thing I know already I don’t like… It’s quite difficult to open the battery compartment. I’m sure this is intentionally stiff, but the battery life could be a lot better given how you are likely to use this so opening the back is something I’ll have to get used to in order to swap batteries.
Technorati Tags: Bluetooth, Mobile, Movies, Music, N-Series, Nokia, Photography
Seen here on the left next to the other Nokia N-Series phones courtesy of the Nokia Blogger Program… More to come either later tonight or tomorrow as I play and explore this cool new device.
I’ve been using my Treo 650 again the past few days and I have to say I’ve really missed the experience. Overall, the Palm Smartphone experience is the best in my opinion. I’m clearly not a windows guy so there’s a natural bias there, but I have been using several Nokia series 60 devices for the past months and it’s just not even close. The Treo is simple, yet robust and allows me to carry a ton of applications, data and entertainment is a relatively small package.
No of course I’ve got that itch for the 700P – EVDO would only make my experience that much better. 😉
AMD: Vista only a tiny step to convergence | CNET News.com
This is a pretty harsh piece on the state of the PC as told by AMD and cofirmed by Bose. Things are clearly too complex, big and loud. Consumers want simple, quiet and reliable.
The Apple Store (U.S.) – MacBook:
I have to say the MacBook is a helluva compelling machine. I’d take mine in black if I was going for it, though I am quite happy with my Pro version.
If you look at the Comparison chart, you can see tell the differences. You’ll be making a choice either way you go. More battery life on the Book, but more expansion and capabilities on the Pro. I don’t think you can really make a mistake here… all depends on what you need / want.
Technorati Tags: Apple, MacBook, MacBook Pro
Wow! I received a MacBook Pro from the office yesterday and it’s absolutely amazing. After using a Powerbook for so long the overall responsiveness of the systems is a quantum leap! Apps I was used to just having to wait on, just work. I can’t detect any issues with Rosetta and actually in my case Entourage is running like it was just installed for the first time instead of continuing to read my store of Gigabytes of email. NetNewsWire is humming and browsing through Camino, Safari and Firefox (had to try them all) is super quick!
My two issues are I know I no longer can get power on an Airplane with my iGo (yet) and I can’t use my card reader for SD or CF Cards — so back to USB and Bluetooth for those.
Technorati Tags: Apple, MacBook Pro
When I first read the headline I got very excited, but then I realized this is not what I was hoping for…
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Cable operator Cablevision Systems Corp. (CVC.N) said on Monday it plans to introduce a video recording service as early as this year that aims to replace the living room digital video recorder.Digital video recorders made by such companies as Cisco Systems Inc.’s (CSCO.O) Scientific-Atlanta and TiVo Inc. (TIVO.O) allow subscribers to pause and rewind live television programs and store programs on hard drives included on their home set-top boxes. The Cablevision service, by contrast, will allow customers to store programs on servers located at Cablevision’s facilities. Cablevision said the move is designed to cut the cost of installing and fixing digital video recorders, which are prone to malfunction.It will operate over existing cable systems through customers’ current digital set top boxes. Though the company said it had not yet priced the service, it expects cost-savings to be passed on to customers. [New York Times]
I sincerely hope that Cable companies decide this is the low-end version of the DVR service and continue to offer / allow a more high end recording capability. My experience with cable DVRs has been quite good. What I would love is for a shared recording space so I can easily browse programs recorded centrally (or simply from a second box) in a different room. This technology already exists and Scientific Atlanta offers a version of the box I already use (8300HD) which enables multi-room functionality. My home has all the connective lines needed – just coax – to make this happen.
Additionally, with “recording” done on the external network, you essentially just offer an enhanced on-demand service which is fine for some instances, but defeats any hope of portability other than streaming. The EyeTV 200 I’ve recently added enables me to auto-export to iPod format which enables my content to be synced with a docked iPod – or streamed through iTunes on any other computer. If I had systems running Front Row, I’d be able to stream quite easily on my home network.
I know I am not in the majority of consumers nor do I view technology through the mass market filter, but I can’t imagine people want less from their content services and providers…
Technorati Tags: Apple, Bonjour, broadband, DRM, DVR, Elgato, iPod, Marketing, Mobile, Movies, Music, Networking, PSP, TV
For the life of me I cannot figure out why Bonjour no longer works on my network. I can connect directly through an IP to any machine on my network, use ARD or VNC as needed, but things like iTunes sharing are dead.
Initially I thought this was going to be a wired to wireless issue, but I tried connected a powerbook directly to the router and saw no change either. There’s clearly a block somewhere but I can’t find it. D-Link of course said to contact Apple… I’ve searched around on message boards, but so far have come up empty. This is not critical, but seriously missing and something I’d really like to restore. Hopefully someone will catch this via Google…
As noted below… I’ve fixed this issue with a new cable. I’ve actually turned off the ports I had toyed with and it’s still working. Old ethernet cable trashed.
Technorati Tags: Bonjour, D-Link, Apple, Rendezvous, Zero Conf
Download Speed: 24515 kbps (3064.4 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 1260 kbps (157.5 KB/sec transfer rate)
Yes – that says 24,515 kbps!!!
The addition of my Gigabit D-Link router has enabled a massive upgrade. As previously noted, it was there but being blocked by an older slower router. Thank you Cablevision!
Technorati Tags: Networking, broadband, Cablevision, D-Link, Gigabit
Thanks to the enhanced processing capabilities of the Intel Core Duo, you can now record and playback HDTV directly on a Mac mini, iMac or MacBook Pro! An all digital EyeTV 500 is starting to sound quite nice…
This version expands support for full-resolution playback of HDTV to Macs with Intel Core Duo processors — a feature previously reserved for owners of high-end dual Power Mac G5 computers. The full 720p and 1080i HDTV experience is now available on portable and consumer desktop Macs such as the MacBook Pro and the new iMac, as well as the Mac mini with Core Duo processors. [Elgato Systems]
I recently decided I wanted to pay more for my home broadband access and added this to my Cablevision bill a few weeks ago. Up until last night I was having an issue with the service as it seemed that I was not able to get anywhere near the speed (30MB / 2MB) I should be getting – let alone the regular tier of service which offers 15MB dl.
And then it occurred to me… My router is pretty old as I’ve been a cable broadband user since from the moment it was offered about 6 years ago when I lived in NYC. My Linksys router is only not 10/100 as I thought… instead it’s only capable of 10MB which is slower than the incoming stream. A quick test with a direct ethernet connection to my laptop from the cable modem revealed I was seriously self-capping. I am still not getting 30MB downloads, but it is pushing past 15 on some quick speed tests.
Problem solved with a quick one-click over at Amazon, I’ll be getting a new D-Link DGL-4100 Broadband Gaming Router, 4-Port Gigabit Switch which as the names implies will enable Gigabit access on my home network (wiring pending) and a much faster routing of incoming packets. From what I read about the router, it’s also incredibly friendly for configurations of specific applications so you can prioritize (or limit) certain types of applications. It’s clearly targeted at gamers with settings designed to optimize online gaming, but similar settings will enable me to do quite a few tricks including built-in support for DynDns and VPN so I can securely connect remotely to my home machines and help my wife or simply stream some music … and possibly video back out.
Technorati Tags: Gigabit, D-Link, LAN, Cablevision, puppy
Believe what you want to believe. I definitely think something is coming for April 1 as was alluded to by Steve at Macworld for the big anniversary. It would be cool if it was the full screen iPod AV… I had been hoping for a more intense Front Row w/DVR piece myself, but I would be quite happy to add something like this to my gear bag.
I am heading to San Francisco for the MacWorld Stevenote on Tuesday and I am extremely pumped! I’ve been to Boston and NY a bunch of times but this is my first west coast show and I am truly expecting some great things.
There are so many good rumors floating out there as usual. While I find that there are some clear must-haves like the updates to older machines, I am really interested in the “one more thing.” I’m sure there will be some sweet things discussed and shared leading up to that moment, but the main event will certainly be what’s under the curtain.
Given all the attention the tech industry has placed on the digital home with video and enhanced content services and Apple’s ability to distill the complex into simple and killer applications and devices, I am looking to what I thought the Mac Mini was going to be a year ago.
A few details to consider… The PowerPage reports on Apple HDTVs with OS X inside running bluetooth and Airport with an enhanced remote … previous rumors have included hints of a wireless iPod and of course there is the whole Intel deal. Apple is already a leader in content aggregation and distribution with iTunes. It’s still unknown how this will all connect, but quite a few pieces are there waiting to be dropped into place.
Apple has an amazing opportunity to iPod the living room and I am looking forward to being there live if it’s unveiled.
Technorati Tags: Macworld, Apple, Stevenote, Keynote, San Francisco