This'll Work

Microsoft's Ballmer Misses the "Device" Point

2011-07-14T16:56:46Z

Mid-2011; the "IT" information technology paradigm is morphing. The introduction and collision of tablets and smart phones in both the consumer and the business-use IT spheres is suddenly causing a very rapid, and complete evolutionary inflection in the concept of information "device".

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer unknowingly pointed out this change at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Los Angeles this week, but then apparently missed this huge point too. Mr. Ballmer and other MS executives talked about the current MS system design philosophy that "a tablet is just another PC", while making it clear that, as Microsoft sees it, a phone is not a PC at all.

]]> He's not the only one missing the point. Apple and Google and HP, as well as Microsoft, all seem to be missing what is happening right in front of their eyes. We are approaching a new era in which there will only be one "device", but it will come in different form factors.

I work with consumer and business users everyday who wonder why they can't simply move files from their computers to their phones or to their iPads and back again. (Geeks; don't argue: the key word is "simply", i.e., intuitively. Like drag-and-drop.)

The users are telling the makers: "one device -- different form factors". A phone is a phone, unless "I" want it to be a PC. PC looks like a PC, but is a phone when "I" run Skype or MagicJack . My tablet is... come on, do we users have to spell it out for you guys at Apple, Google and Microsoft?

Apple gets close with the iPod<-->iPhone<-->iPad line. But Steve Jobs still calls the iPad a "new category" and Apple still isolates that line from it's Mac and iTV cousins.

Google is cluelessly stumbling all around the concept with Android 3.x and Chrome and Chromebooks and Google TV.

Ironically, PC maker Acer is taking -- carrying -- Microsoft closest to the "one device, different forms" mark. Acer's sweet "Iconia A500" 10.1" tablet runs Windows 7. Not a mini version of 7, but a full-on copy of Windows 7 Home Premium.

This fits squarely, of course, with Microsoft's position that a tablet is just another PC. But Acer takes it to the "one-device" point with just a couple of key features; like dual front/back cameras.

True, front/back cameras is sort of standard in a tablet. But the front camera feature is there for communications -- the idea comes from phones -- and this one is in a "Windows 7 PC". In other words, it is phone that is also a PC and a tablet and that, most importantly, can do anything that the Windows user wants it to do! The user determines what function is -- and it is expressly not defined by either the form or by the manufacturer.

Now; if I could have another one that one, just like it, that would fit in my pocket -- I'd have "one device -- different form".

So come on Apple; iMac <--> iPhone <--> iPad <--> iPod: all one "thing". For the user -- they all do whatever "I" want, wherever I want, and whenever I want.

Same for you Google. With you having so many good ideas, why are you still leaving it up to us, the users, to figure out what and why the difference is between Android and Chrome and Android apps and Chrome apps and, for that matter, Google Docs! A why, for heaven's sake, does an .MP3 or .JPG file uploaded to Facebook do what "I" expect (aka "what it is supposed to") but in Google Docs it does something else entirely different and unwanted?

And, as we started, the same goes for you, Microsoft. Until you figure out that a phone is also "just another PC", you are going to stay in your rut. But if you, act fast, you could grab a good handle on the whole tablet-PC-phone show.

Oh, and HP; WebOS? Really? You and Google Chrome going to duke it out for the "what's this for and why doesn't it talk to my PC" award?

One device -- different forms. PC --> tablet --> phone --> TV -- media player --> GPS --> car dash --> refrigerator -->... you get the idea. This is the new direction for IT. The new Moore's Law will be about how much user-designated function goes into the most different form factors.

"One device -- different forms".

Mills Brothers on Lawrence Welk

2011-04-17T18:51:02Z

This'll definitely work. A terrific performance with the Lawrence Welk Orchestra on the TV show from early 1960s. Includes a little banter, including comment by Welk that he'd been trying to get them on the show for several years. Songs "It Hurts Me" and "Paper Doll".

Hannaford's Online Shopping List; Almost Perfect

2011-04-03T17:24:45Z

I'm often the grocery runner at our house. I'll hit the store on my way back from a Computer Guy service call, so I haven't had a chance to pick up a shopping list at home.

For short lists, text messages can get a list to my phone OK. For slightly longer lists, my wife will write it on a piece of paper and then shoot a picture of it with her phone and send it as a photo message. This also works very well.

But if the list is long, then I need to able to check off the items as I pick them up. Otherwise, inexpert shopper that I am, I have to keep checking my work.

]]> Our default local grocery is a Hannaford's and like A&P and others, they have a shopping list generator at their website. Hannaford's version not super sophisticated and, in fact, is down-right kludgy in some features, but it does have a feature that is pretty sweet. From the standard web page, it will generate a check-off shopping list for my mobile browser.

Whenever the web-based list is updated, then a quick refresh on my phone gets the new version of the list in the mobile browser. The mobile version is nicely formatted in a compact list with a toggle-able check mark next to each item. This is really nice.

Having seen it and used it; I'd give it a 3-out-5 star rating. Maybe 3 and a half. I'm hoping that Hannaford's is open to noting some issues with the feature and maybe will consider some suggestions that might make this nifty feature even better. It gets close to perfect, as is, just a few tweaks will get it to 5-stars.

First, for the online list editor itself; it does let you enter whatever text like for an item -- which is very good -- but if you want to narrow it to a specific unit of a specific product, you have to pick through pages and pages of inventory items. Magic word: "Search". Please add a search feature that can be used in browsing for each list item.

Second, there is no store-order filter. In fact, you can't change the order of items in this list in any way. Items go into the list in the order entered, with most recent at the top. That is; there is no way to automatically or manually make the list go in store- or section- order.

When you "save" the list, the mobile version of the list is reordered alphabetically -- by the first word. True, that is better than no order at all, but it's kind of fundamental to group frozen things, and produce things, and meat things and so on. Right? Otherwise a dofus shopper, like me, will be wandering from bananas on one end to bread on the other and then all the way back to cat food in the middle.

Weirdly, the order in the list editor does not change. It's still the sort of random order in which you entered the items.

Third, while the mobile check list is handiest thing about the Hannaford's online shopping list;

-- The mobile list is not editable -- if you think of something you need at the other end of the store, you're out of luck. Unless you want to switch to the (non-mobile) editable version to make the change to your list. BUT...

-- The mobile list has to be manually updated with a browser refresh, if the list is changed in the editor (say, by your SO at home, or by you adding an item for the other end of the store). BUT...

-- The checks do not persist if the list is refreshed. So if your SO does update the list at home and you do refresh it on your phone, poof, your check marks disappear. Ack!

Fourth, the only edit item for the mobile list is a button to "Clear All Checked Items", but this really means "Clear All Checkmarks". It does not actually remove or hide items that you have checked off your list. This is handy if you want to preserve your list for the next trip, but the language is a little unclear. A nit, for sure.

Fifth, the mobile list font is a fixed size, so that I can't zoom in it. Please, Hannaford; let me zoom.

Lastly: another nit. The Hannaford.com site doesn't automatically recognize a mobile browser. You have to type "/mobile" to get to the mobile version of the list. Not a big deal. Come to think of it; until the mobile list is editable, this may be an advantage.

Oh yeah, as long as I'm using this thing; for check out it would be handy to have my Hannaford customer ID bar code come up on the screen of my phone, so that I don't have to fish for the Hannaford sticker taped to the back of my ShopRite card.

FYI: OED OK's "OMG". LOL!

2011-04-01T19:20:01Z

The latest update of the OED, the Oxford English Dictionary, was published on March 24 and it contains some good news for those in the back row in English class. Four new initialisms (a new term for me and my spellcheck) have made it to the official listings of confirmed units of the English language: OMG, FYI, LOL, and WAG. (Oh My God [or Goodness], For Your Information, Laughing Out Loud, Wives and Girlfriends)

]]> Go figure.

It turns out that these aren't the first. Who knew?

It seems that BFF (Best Friends Forever) and TMI (Too Much Information) had already assumed the mantle of worthy wordness.

If I understand the explanation correctly, the OED will let these texting gimzos in if they make a transition to written and/or spoken forms from being exclusively in the online domain.

Awesome, dude. IMHO.

Save Your Smartphone Battery

2011-04-01T15:04:59Z

Smartphones and "pad" devices are swell tools and/or playthings, whether Android or Apple or Windows. All the smartness, though, brings a problem with battery life. Where cell phones can go for days in standby mode, smartphones and pads are lucky if they can go even one day on standby without a visit to the charger. And you're actually using the thing, then your battery life is down to a few hours.

So what's the deal with smartphone battery life, and is there any way it can be extended?

The thing is, some of the "smart" part is always working "in the background". That is, even when you're not actually using an app, it might still be loaded up and doing something to be ready for you. And this "background" action is always eating away at battery life.

]]> This is particularly so in Android phones and pads where running background services and battery use is like the wild west. Apps will do and use whatever they can get away with. Basically; more apps in your phone tends to mean shorter battery life.

This is not as much the case with stock Apple devices: iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Expressly to extend battery life, Apple keeps a tight grip on what apps are, and are not, allowed to run in the background. Unless your iPhone is jailbroken, then the vast majority of apps are simply not permitted to eat your battery when you're not looking.

So the tips below mainly apply to Android devices but some, particularly the first few, can still have a helpful effect on Apple device battery life too.

1. Turn down the display

The display, when it is on, is the primary power drain on most smartphones and pads. There are three settings to check to reduce display battery drain:

First, turn down "brightness" to half or a third. The lowest usable setting is best.

Second, uncheck "Automatic brightness", in the general settings for "Display" on your Android or iPhone. This turns off a circuit that constantly checks the ambient brightness and adjusts your backlight up or down. Less checking equals more battery life.

Third, shorten the time to automatically turn the screen off. The default is usually 1 minute. Reduce it to 30 seconds, if you can. Turning off the light sooner saves battery.

2. Reduce or turn off syncing

If you can, turn ALL automatic syncing to OFF. Doing this will have a huge postive impact on your battery life. You can still sync manually whenever you want your email or to check Twitter or Facebook. SMS text messaging on your phone will still come through automatically.

If you need your email or Twitter kept up to date, then set the sync interval to the longest possible. An hour is better than 15 minutes, and 4 hours is better than one hour. Fewer sync checks equals more batter life.

Turn off, or set to manual sync, the services that you don't need immediately, and set the others to as few sync's as possible.

3. Turn off unused radios -- like, Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi.

If you seldom use Bluetooh or GPS, turn them off. These radios gobble up battery juice. Turning them off will have an immediate and quite significant positive effect on battery life.

All phones have an "automatic" mode for GPS -- so that it is only turned on when specifically needed. Use that setting in the system, and make sure that apps are set to only use it when they are running in the foreground.

If you know that you're not going to be using Bluetooth for an extended period (or ever) then turn it off until you do need it. Even when you are not using it, an active Bluetooth radio will be constantly searching for nearby devices -- and eating battery. Turn it off!

WiFi also constantly searches for available networks, even when you're not using it. So, if you know that you're not going to be using WiFi for an extended period of time, then turn it off to save a lot of battery life.

"Airplane mode": if you're going into a doctor's office or a parent-teacher meeting or some other place where you're not going to be using your phone at all for an extended period, put it into "Airplane mode". This turns off all of the radio circuits all at once and really saves a lot of battery life.

Good news: if it doesn't already have one, you can find apps that will put "toggles" for radios right on your screen. Then you just have to tap the button to turn off WiFi or Bluetooth or even to go into airplane mode.

4. Turn off animations

This doesn't really apply to Apple devices, but on Android devices you can generally disallow apps from using animation services on your device. In the "Settings" for "Display", top "Animation" and set it to "Some animations" -- better -- or "No animations" -- best for battery life. The system will still look swell and behave well, but apps will be forced to behave best for your battery.

5. Manage apps and widgets

This mainly applies to Android devices -- or jailbroken iPhones -- because, as noted, Apple keeps a pretty tight grip on background battery eaters. On Android devices, though, the apps are, let's say, free to misbehave. Some apps turn themselves on -- even without you asking! Some apps will remain running in the background, even though you think that you've exited and turned them off.

Go to the app Market (one that will stay loaded and running) and download a task manager. The "Advanced Task Killer" is popular and fairly easy and intuitive to use. These task managers let you see what apps are running, with or without your permission -- and to selectively turn them off.

Unfortunately, you need do this periodically so that you can manually "kill" off the apps that are eating your battery. Some of these task managers, including "Advanced Task Killer" have automatic modes that run periodically to kill unneeded apps. In this case the automatic mode is not a battery eater. Whew!

Change Your Keyboard - It Can Change Your Life

2011-03-15T16:43:36Z

It's a good idea to change your computer keyboard. Or; at the least, it's not a bad one.

If your wrists hurt, or if your fingers complain with every keystroke, then you should change your keyboard. Even if you just don't always find it comfortable to type on your keyboard, then it's time to find a new keyboard.

Yes, you can do this. It's easy to do, usually inexpensive, and you can do it yourself!

The right keyboard for you can make a difference in your comfort, your efficiency and your well-being. You'll type faster and the process can ease the stress on your hands and wrists that comes from repetitive motion. Even if you use a laptop for most or all of your work, you can easily add a separate, more comfortable full-sized keyboard to use when you are in your office or at home.

]]> But how do you choose what will work best for you? What are the options available?

The first thing to know is that keyboards are electronically standardized, so that you can take any keyboard that you like and plug it into your computer and it will automatically work.

By the way; this goes for Mac, Windows and Linux too.

Keyboard types: things to look for. All computer keyboards have a basic 84 or 101 key set. You can get them in different colors and with different key arrangements, but the things that set them apart from each other are: special functions, keyboard mechanics, alternate shapes.

The shape of a keyboard can be very important when it comes to comfort and speed. From left-to-right, most keyboards have the keys arranged in a straight line. From top-to-bottom of the keyboard, they may be perfectly flat or they may have a slight dished shape so that, for touch typing, your fingers don't have as far to go to reach the upper number row or the lower "Z" row. This top-to-bottom curve is an ergonomic feature usually found on better keyboards.

Another type of ergonomic feature is a "split" or "natural" keyboard. The keyboard is actually split in half, top-to-bottom, and slightly bent upward between the two halves. This makes it so that your arms and wrists can be positioned more naturally straight from your elbows to your fingertips. This shape helps to reduce repetitive stress on your wrists, hands and fingers. It takes some getting used to, but users report much more comfort and improved typing speed.

The mechanics of the keyboard are hidden from view, of course, but, it is something to consider. But if you'd like a keyboard with a different "feel" -- that does or doesn't click when you press it, or that needs more, or less, pressure to make it go -- then the inner workings can make a difference for you.

The keyboard's inner mechanics can also make a difference if you have issues with touch stemming from arthritis, repetitive stress injury, or other such. For instance, sme keyboards require less "throw" to activate a key, and that by itself can make a huge difference for some users.

The only way to find out if that may be the case, of course, is to try out different keyboards and see how they feel for you. That's easier than it may sound. The big office supply stores, like Staples or Office Max almost always have 8 to 12 keyboards out on display. Computer stores and department stores, even the big ones, rarely have as useful a display. (You might want to take a bottle of hand sanitizer along.)

Special functions are not so important when it comes to comfort and joint well-being, but they can be useful if your computer is mostly used for multimedia (playing or editing video or audio), or game-playing. Other special function types include features for game-play or for social media services (Facebook and Twitter and so on). If any of these features might be useful to you, search online for examples to look for when you're out shopping.

Don't worry if the keyboard that you like comes in a set with a mouse. Mice will also automatically work on any computer: Windows or Mac.

As always, I hope this is useful. Give me a call anytime if I can help you pick out a keyboard.

How Block Calls on Verizon Wireless

2011-02-09T22:27:01Z

If you are a Verizon Wireless customer, as we are, it turns out to be pretty easy to block calls and text messages from certain phone numbers that may be spamming you. I don't know about other carriers, but they all must have something similar.

In the case of VZW, the first thing that you need is to have your "My Verizon" online account set up. If you don't have one, it's easy to sign up, and it's included free with your Verizon Wireless account. Just go online to www.VerizonWireless.com and click on one of the "My Verizon" or "My Account" links and follow the instructions to sign up.

]]> Once you have your account all arranged, then, with the phone number that you need to block in hand:

Log on to your "My Verizon" account online.
Find the "My Services" link and click on it.
Choose the "SPAM Control" feature. (If you don't find it right away, keep poking around or do a site search for "spam control". It will be there!)
Add the phone number(s) that you need to block (up to 5 numbers).
Click the "APPLY" button.

That's it.

Verizon says that they will block the numbers on your list for 3 months, from the date you add them. Hopefully the spammer will have moved on by then. If not, then you will have to come back in three months and add the number again.

The bad news; you can only do this with numbers that are revealed in caller ID. If a spammer number is hidden, then, for now, you're out of luck. If someone figures out how to deal with hidden spammer numbers, PLEASE let me know!

By the way; if you decide that you want to unblock a number on your blocked list, just logon to your "My Verizon", go to your :SPAM Control" list and delete the number from it. As before, click on the "APPLY" button and the number will be unblocked.

Super Bowl Kickoff Time... 6:30ish

2011-02-06T16:34:09Z

FYI: Super Bowl XLV kick-off time is at about 6:30pm eastern US time. I'm posting this here for those have about had it with the pre-game hoopla that began a few weeks ago. ]]> SuperBowltime is not creeping as much as Christmastime -- thankfully, the NFL playoffs keep it a little in check -- but when the Puppy Bowl starts playing it's syrupy loop a whole week ahead of the game, well, aren't things just getting a little out of hand?

The Super Bowl is in every media space, all the time. It's a fun show and, OK, it's pretty exciting -- especially the monster line up this year, but... Enough already. I'll see you at the kickoff ... 6:30pm eastern.

Male Ego With a Twist

2011-01-24T15:11:00Z

Two funny short ads, taking advantage of the bigger toy syndrome....

La Ferrari Rouge

La Corvette Jaune

Skullcandy "Riot" Headphones ~ Good, not Great, Deal

2010-12-28T19:48:21Z

Just got some Skullcandy "Riot" headphones to replace the swell Sennheiser CX-300's that I'd had for a couple of years. Two pairs of those in two years. Loved'em. Don't know why I decided to try the Skullcandy model, unless it was the lower price.

I wish that I'd ordered another set of Sennheiser's when the second pair quit.

]]>

Drape them over the neck... these are equal length cables. Who does that anymore? At least at around or about 4 feet, these are long enough to allow running around the back of the neck with one line or the other and still making it down to a pants pocket. That's good. But really, a longer right side ought to the be default by now.

That would help with another little issue. I guess it's a give away that these are "pop" -- i.e., not so serious -- headphones, but these guys aren't marked so that you can see which is left or right. I have this thing about honoring the artists' intent -- including the producer -- so, nit though it may be, I want to know what the artist intended to be left and right.

Plug'em in and turn them on... the sound is definitely high quality, but again it's clearly pop oriented. Jazz and classical aren't killed by them, and most of the sound comes through clearly but these are bass-oriented machines, and given a half a chance -- or even a quarter of one -- these "Riot" phones will let the bass wash over and washout everything else.

On the other hand, they manage to give a great sense of physicality to the bass. So if you're into thumping... these will be candy for your skull for sure.

Over all, nice headphones for a very nice -- under $20 online -- price. Not quite as even handed to the sound as I would like, but I'm not going to kick them out of my ears.

Add Your Own Ringtones to Android Phone

2010-12-27T00:06:44Z

It isn't at all clear or obvious, out of the box, how to add your own custom ringtones to an Android phone, but happily it is pretty easy to do.

This assumes that you already know how to make or acquire your own custom ringtones. If you don't -- search the web for "how to make ringtones". If you do; then on to the next step.

]]>

If your phone does appear as a removable drive, then open that drive up in your file manager (Finder or Windows Explorer or whatever you prefer). You should see a list of folders in the root of that drive. Look in that list to see if you can see one called "ringtones", in all lower-case letters.

If you don't see that folder, then click on "New Folder" in the File menu and then rename the new folder as "ringtones". (All lower case, please.)

Now that you have that folder you are pretty much all set. Copy your custom ringtones into that folder while the phone is connected to your computer. Be sure to "eject" the drive before you disconnect your phone. If you don't do that then your memory card can get messed up pretty badly.

Once your phone is disconnected from the computer it should automatically "remount" the memory card and inspect what you've put on it. Now open up your phone's sounds settings (usually, Settings --> Sounds) and check out the ringtones list. You should see your new custom ringtones listed there. All done!

One Note: Your Android phone will use your ringtones' file names for the list of ringtones, so be sure to name your ringtone files with some useful or easy to identify name.

Hope this is helpful!

Lost Menu Bar in Task Manager

2010-12-22T00:05:18Z

Task Manager in Windows is a handy tool that shows you a bit of what's going on in your PC and gives you some brute force ways to deal with it. In most versions of Windows you can get to Task Manager by typing Ctrl-Shift-Esc. Also, Ctrl-Alt-Del gives you a way to find it from the logoff screen.

As handy as Task Manager can be it has one strange quirk. You can accidentally hide the menu bar (and title bar too) by double clicking anywhere on the sides or bottom of the Task Manager window frame.

If you don't know what happened, this can be pretty disconcerting. Happily, the way that you get it back... double-click anywhere on the window frame again. Puff! It comes back.

AVG Loses Its Edge with "2011" Version.

2010-11-04T13:52:37Z

For years, AVG has been the go-to antivirus in my kit. Its low-drag, feature rich performance has always been dependable in both the paid version and in their famous free version. But in late October 2010, AVG started pushing out "AVG 2011" and it is is worse than a let down. It is a computer crushing performance flop.

My guess is that the programmers at AVG all now have multi-core machines and that they've forgotten about the millions of regular single- and dual-core Pentium and Athlon Windows PCs that remain in the working world. Those machines are going to be around for years yet.

Does anybody know if there's a way to go back to version 9 of AVG? That was heavyweight antivirus but with almost no drag on computer performance!

Garmin GPS Fire Hazard Recall

2010-08-26T15:24:43Z

GPS maker Garmin has announced a voluntary recall of 1.25 million of their popular units because of a potential battery fire. A little over half of those were sold in the United States. All registered owners will get a letter from Garmin about the recall and how to get their units replaced.

]]> Garmin says that it has found potential overheating issues when a "third party supplier's batteries manufactured within this limited date code range are used in certain Garmin devices". So the problem is limited to a subset of the lines of effected GPS units: the nüvi 200W, 250W, & 260W and the nüvi 7xx (where xx is a two-digit number). (Whew! I have a nüvi 255W and those units are all safe. Love it, BTW.)

If you have a Garmin in the recalled lines and just want to check the serial number to be sure, Garmin has thoughtfully set up a page just for that purpose right here.

My trusty nuvi 255W

Runaway Car? CR Video; Don't Pump the Brakes!

2010-06-08T14:43:32Z

Runaway cars have made some scary news in recent months and there have been a few thoughts posted about what to do if it happens when you're in the driver's seat. Surprisingly, according to a definitive article and video posted at the Consumer Reports "Cars" blog, many of those ideas are not just wrong, but a couple could actually make things worse.

The number one no-no is pumping the brakes. It turns out that in some car systems this may actual cause the brakes to stop working altogether! Instead step hard on the brakes and hold them down.

]]> The number two no-no is to turn off the ignition. Doing that may inadvertently cause you to loose control of steering. With the engine off you'll for sure loose power steering, making your car very hard to steer; and, if you accidentally turn the key too far you might actually lock the steering wheel, making it impossible to steer at all!

Instead, stomp on the brakes and hold them down and then put the transmission into neutral. The Consumer Reports folks helpfully suggest practicing this technique as some modern shifters may actually make it hard to find neutral when you need it. With the car in neutral and your feet on the brakes the car will come to a stop and then you can shut down the engine safely.

If you have a newer car with a starter button, read your owner's manual about how to turn off the car in this sort of situation. There is no standard, but typically it will be to hold down the "Start" button for 3 or 5 seconds.

Check out the video and read the very helpful article here.