This COULD be my shortest entry ever because I'm next to speechless. YOUTUBE (owned and managed by Google) doesn't provide HTML5 3D support for Chrome (or the other way around if you want to look at it that way) but DOES for FireFox?!
Are you serious Google?
Don't believe me? http://blogs.nvidia.com/2011/05/youtube-now-in-3d-vision/
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Thoughts about the Oculus Rift and other display tech 1.0
Today I made my $335 pledge toward the Oculus Rift KickStarter project and that's led to some interesting conversations on Google+. The following was originally intended as a reply to ? on the posts comments, but it got a bit long-winded so I'm blogging instead.
I've been searching for more tech details (about the Rift) like mad and so far I can't find a damn thing! :) Someone on here said something that did get me thinking though and I have an idea of what they may have done to use such a low-res screen (relatively speaking) to get an amazing picture. I just put in my $335 pledge and I'm going to try and reach someone to confirm (with an NDA in place) because if I'm right, then I'd be happy to explain the approach if they'll let me. If I'm wrong, then I have another idea that they might be able to use to take this up another notch still :) What I will say right now is that the reason 720p / 2 per eye doesn't sound like much, is because 720p (and every other display out there that sits on a table/desk/wall/etc... is built so that no matter where you look ON THE DISPLAY, you get an equally high-quality image and that's necessary because the display doesn't actually take up much of your entire FOV and it's not tired to head-tracking (unless you're using TrackIR or similar tech). If a system knows exactly where you're looking and the display takes up most of your FOV, then it only needs a lot of detail in a fairly small area and the remainder of the display can actually be quite low-res/low-quality. Eye tracking is one way of doing this that's been experimented with, but that's very complicated and expensive. You can follow me here on G+ to see what I find in the way of tech and I may even share my own ideas independently, but my G+ shares will just be links to my blogger site ( http://rainabba.blogspot.com ) so I have more presentation control so you may want to just go subscribe there so you can get more immediate alerts you're less likely to miss. I don't blog often so you won't get spammed by alerts :)
Another cool display tech you might want to check out is a home-brew project using an approach that's well known in the $1m+ flight sim industry called collimated light displays. These guys seem to have figured out an approach that allows for the use of an off-the-shelf projector and less than $100 in materials to create one hell of a wide FOV display appropriate for flight/racing sims on the PC. Walk around of the DIY collimated display.They have quite a few other videos showing the setup and theory but what makes this display so amazing is that as you move around, the image appears to remain effectively the same just as it would if you were looking "out the window" of a vehicle. That's what makes these especially useful for simulators. Their build could EASILY use a DLP display with active-shutter glasses and you'd not only have that OTW effect, but stereoscopy as well and it would be mind blowing without an HMD. Depending on what I can do with the Rift SDK, this might be my next major project for use to replace my primary desktop monitors (24" 1200p, 30" 1600p, 24" 1200p).
It could also be a nice enhancement to a multi-mon desktop setup if you can afford a projector with seriously wide-res OR matrox display adapters that do edge blending and some cheaper projectors (could even use a bunch of really cheap ones turned vertical if you have the Matrox hardware). Example HERE (this isn't collimated though so if you move your head too much, you'll see distortion).
My hope for the Rift though is to see someone get a 3D desktop work space going for Windows (like Compiz-Fusion) and then add cameras to make AR possible then my "work-space" will be my entire environment. A project I've been evolving for no less than 10 years in my head. Basically, using compositing technology, imagine being able to place your windows anywhere in 3D space (though most likely perpendicular to virtual walls you setup which are aligned to the real walls in your space, or as normals to a virtual cylinder that exists around you. Then when you "focus" a window, it snaps to a position that will allow for the best possible 1:1 pixel mapping of the physical display so that text can be as sharp as possible. Anyway, that's just the tip of a VERY involved idea I have and should be another post (or 10) and by now many others have come up with very similar ideas.
I've been searching for more tech details (about the Rift) like mad and so far I can't find a damn thing! :) Someone on here said something that did get me thinking though and I have an idea of what they may have done to use such a low-res screen (relatively speaking) to get an amazing picture. I just put in my $335 pledge and I'm going to try and reach someone to confirm (with an NDA in place) because if I'm right, then I'd be happy to explain the approach if they'll let me. If I'm wrong, then I have another idea that they might be able to use to take this up another notch still :) What I will say right now is that the reason 720p / 2 per eye doesn't sound like much, is because 720p (and every other display out there that sits on a table/desk/wall/etc... is built so that no matter where you look ON THE DISPLAY, you get an equally high-quality image and that's necessary because the display doesn't actually take up much of your entire FOV and it's not tired to head-tracking (unless you're using TrackIR or similar tech). If a system knows exactly where you're looking and the display takes up most of your FOV, then it only needs a lot of detail in a fairly small area and the remainder of the display can actually be quite low-res/low-quality. Eye tracking is one way of doing this that's been experimented with, but that's very complicated and expensive. You can follow me here on G+ to see what I find in the way of tech and I may even share my own ideas independently, but my G+ shares will just be links to my blogger site ( http://rainabba.blogspot.com ) so I have more presentation control so you may want to just go subscribe there so you can get more immediate alerts you're less likely to miss. I don't blog often so you won't get spammed by alerts :)
Another cool display tech you might want to check out is a home-brew project using an approach that's well known in the $1m+ flight sim industry called collimated light displays. These guys seem to have figured out an approach that allows for the use of an off-the-shelf projector and less than $100 in materials to create one hell of a wide FOV display appropriate for flight/racing sims on the PC. Walk around of the DIY collimated display.They have quite a few other videos showing the setup and theory but what makes this display so amazing is that as you move around, the image appears to remain effectively the same just as it would if you were looking "out the window" of a vehicle. That's what makes these especially useful for simulators. Their build could EASILY use a DLP display with active-shutter glasses and you'd not only have that OTW effect, but stereoscopy as well and it would be mind blowing without an HMD. Depending on what I can do with the Rift SDK, this might be my next major project for use to replace my primary desktop monitors (24" 1200p, 30" 1600p, 24" 1200p).
It could also be a nice enhancement to a multi-mon desktop setup if you can afford a projector with seriously wide-res OR matrox display adapters that do edge blending and some cheaper projectors (could even use a bunch of really cheap ones turned vertical if you have the Matrox hardware). Example HERE (this isn't collimated though so if you move your head too much, you'll see distortion).
My hope for the Rift though is to see someone get a 3D desktop work space going for Windows (like Compiz-Fusion) and then add cameras to make AR possible then my "work-space" will be my entire environment. A project I've been evolving for no less than 10 years in my head. Basically, using compositing technology, imagine being able to place your windows anywhere in 3D space (though most likely perpendicular to virtual walls you setup which are aligned to the real walls in your space, or as normals to a virtual cylinder that exists around you. Then when you "focus" a window, it snaps to a position that will allow for the best possible 1:1 pixel mapping of the physical display so that text can be as sharp as possible. Anyway, that's just the tip of a VERY involved idea I have and should be another post (or 10) and by now many others have come up with very similar ideas.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
My thoughts on the "AllDroid" issue as of 20120711
This was a reply to someone on Google+ which I recently left and since this was a very public issue and this reply represents my current feelings and perspective, it just makes sense to throw it out there for the few who might want to hear it (or those who don't but can't resist).
I don't fault bird much if any in what I'm talking about. He was a hard-working, low-key dev that I pushed to make noise if anything. Steven is another story. When he came on "the scene", he "wanted to learn how to code", was a nobody on the Android scene, and was gung-ho to be an admin for AllDroid so long as I agreed with his ideas. He and I fundamentally differ though and he just said it clear as day, "it's a business". He was always out for money and/or attention. "I" was out to support developers by providing any resources I could manage through AllDroid. This including borrowing $5,000 to buy the rights from Brent Fishman. Every dime the site earned went to developers or into improving the site itself even though I should have been paying back that loan. *One* admitted exception was a phone upgrade for myself. Another fundamental difference between Steve and I is that I didn't play games (read "politics") unless it was absolutely critical and this meant that I had no problem calling out people when I saw fit (like when they sold code that wasn't theirs to sell, or store ideas from devs and claimed it as their own). So of course Steve "seems" nice to most people. That doesn't mean he wasn't sincere with you. I'm not trying to speak to the nature of your relationship with him. I'm just saying that it often wasn't sincere.
Anyway, I don't even have a problem with how RW is run. It's how it came to be that demonstrates his true nature. He stabbed me in the back once and I forgave him only for it to happen again and the second time, he and his buddies used outright lies (under the guise of ignorance that was more like naivety at best) to drag my name and AllDroid through the mud, killing the site. If it wasn't for my willingness to make him an admin, give him the freedom and control I did, then the humanity to forgive him the first time, I have no reason to believe anyone would even know his name today. I gave him AllDroid as a platform to stand on thinking he was interested in bettering the Android community and instead he used it to make a name, gain a cult following, then burn me at the stake and to this day he's always got some excuse, reason, or hollow words to try and make it seems like something other than what it is. I can't tell you how many months ago he and Bird told me that they'd be throwing some money my way to help out in light of what went down and I haven't heard from them since.
I'm sure that there are few people out there who both believe me and care what I say, but I've accepted that and as bitter as I am about what went down, the fact is that I (my better nature) made it possible and I had many chances to prevent it. In the end, I'm likely better off for it anyway because AllDroid was consuming WAY too much of my time and since it's gone, I've been able to go back to school, advance my business, and now I'm about to have another child (literally any day) and I couldn't have managed AllDroid along with any of those things. What I am sad about is how much the Android community had to pay because of the way AllDroid played out. When Brent shut the site down, he severely fractured the community (as if he hadn't done enough harm before-hand with the way he was playing politics). When Steve and friends (led by Tom Spear) executed the final blow, they saw to it that the Android community would forever be split even more ways and dominated by commercial sites who will always appear to have an interest in Android, but in my experience, are more concerned with their pocket-books.
A wise woman by the name of Maya Angelou once said something that I wish I'd heard and taken to heart before encountering the likes of Tom and Steve (along a few others), "When someone shows you who they are believe them the first time."
Now tell me, who is looking to help Android more; they guy who spent hundreds of hours for the community, borrowed thousands of dollars, trusted others claiming to do the same then getting stabbed in the back, or the guy who did the stabbing and turned around to launch a site built off ideas he received from his victim, and did so for "a business"?
Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but shouldn't it be based on obvious facts?
I'm going to end on that note because the other thing I learned through this experience is not to get sucked into the drama. Speaking my mind once in a while is one thing, but engaging in an on-going dialog is another and I have much more important things to spend my time and passion on. Android is clearly taking very good care of itself thanks (ironically since they are the reason AllDroid came to be) to XDA. I'm sure RW does its part somewhere too, but I use XDA exclusively these days and virtually never hear about RW which suits me just fine. :)
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Go GOOGLE! Way to respect the developers for Google I/O 2012
The new prices might be tough to swallow, but the restrictions on being able to buy 1 ticket and NOT being able to sell them should severely limit the abuse that occurred in years past where people basically hocked tickets which seriously limited the number of REAL developers that could attend I/O.
Create your own machine
in our Chrome Experiment.
Start Building
Create your own machine in our Chrome Experiment.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
AR Glasses - A followup to "smartphone revolution is dead"
As far as AR (Augmented Reality, or the use of computer generated content to enhance our view of the real world) is concerned in this context. I think we are a LONG way from seeing AR Glasses replacing smartphones in the literal sense for a couple of major reasons. 1) Until we have a battery tech revolution, there's just NO way glasses will provide the housing and support needed to power the radios for high-speed, wireless communication (forget everything else even). 2) Fashion is a fact of life and I'm willing to be quoted as saying "the majority of people not already having a need to wear glasses are not going to adopt the fashion or hassle unless the glasses are as or more light and unobtrusive as a decent pair are not (without all the tech)." 3) There is SOO much more flexibility in the combination of a smartphone/tablet/belt-computer/etc.. AND AR glasses because you could work without the glasses, minimize battery weight in the glasses, reduce cost by minimizing the need to micro-scale EVERY aspect of the technology, etc..
More than 10 years ago I saw the future of computing and tablets were the first call I made that came to be. A form of AR will be my 2nd and I've kept quite on the public front while I sought out investors for patents and/or a product, but I think the technology as a whole has gone far enough for me to begin to share my vision publicly and it's really not far from what's already come to be in many places, but I'm yet to see the complete picture that I envision, come to be anywhere else and in the end, I DO see AR glasses becoming a standard at the desktop. I think I'll just have to write a paper here soon to go in depth, but that said, I just don't see it becoming the defacto-standard for mobile displays. I think we're more likely to see some sort of viable live-holography come to life and be implemented before that happens (and that is also an idea that a ways off).
More than 10 years ago I saw the future of computing and tablets were the first call I made that came to be. A form of AR will be my 2nd and I've kept quite on the public front while I sought out investors for patents and/or a product, but I think the technology as a whole has gone far enough for me to begin to share my vision publicly and it's really not far from what's already come to be in many places, but I'm yet to see the complete picture that I envision, come to be anywhere else and in the end, I DO see AR glasses becoming a standard at the desktop. I think I'll just have to write a paper here soon to go in depth, but that said, I just don't see it becoming the defacto-standard for mobile displays. I think we're more likely to see some sort of viable live-holography come to life and be implemented before that happens (and that is also an idea that a ways off).
Friday, February 24, 2012
The smartphone revolution is dead! So says "Think with Google" anyway.
In reply to:
<sarcasm>I agree that the "revolution is dead" because we've gone a few months without a major upgrade.</sarcasm>
Seriously people, do you realize how freakishly rapid progress has been with these mobile computers? Your expectations (+Think with Google) have been blown WAY out of proportion and you need to give the market a bit to catch up. The reason we're not seeing major innovations (like built-in laser projectors, dual-screens, etc..) more is because there's no incentive for the OEMs to provide these things when everyone is gladly sucking up every minor change that requires almost NO investment in R&D or manufacturing processes. When there's a significant reduction is purchasing of the incrementally improved devices rolling out, THEN we will once again see major change.
Android for example (as we've seen) is geared to do some very significant things in terms of hardware support and UI changes. Imagine for example a built in projector that could provide a 12" screen from a device less than 5" tall that used 1/2 front-camera(s) to provide minority-reports (can we say Kinect) like interactions. The tech is there.
The financial incentive to move forward just isn't yet. It's the EXACT same market behavior we see with Hard-disk storage capacities. What we see on the shelves is always 1+ years behind what the manufactures COULD do at a profit, but as long as they're cashing in on the current capacities knowing they can then sell you a larger drive 3-6 months later (doubling profit), why would they release the larger drives? Get it?
The Smartphone Revolution Is Over (For Now)
BY KIT EATON<sarcasm>I agree that the "revolution is dead" because we've gone a few months without a major upgrade.</sarcasm>
Seriously people, do you realize how freakishly rapid progress has been with these mobile computers? Your expectations (+Think with Google) have been blown WAY out of proportion and you need to give the market a bit to catch up. The reason we're not seeing major innovations (like built-in laser projectors, dual-screens, etc..) more is because there's no incentive for the OEMs to provide these things when everyone is gladly sucking up every minor change that requires almost NO investment in R&D or manufacturing processes. When there's a significant reduction is purchasing of the incrementally improved devices rolling out, THEN we will once again see major change.
Android for example (as we've seen) is geared to do some very significant things in terms of hardware support and UI changes. Imagine for example a built in projector that could provide a 12" screen from a device less than 5" tall that used 1/2 front-camera(s) to provide minority-reports (can we say Kinect) like interactions. The tech is there.
The financial incentive to move forward just isn't yet. It's the EXACT same market behavior we see with Hard-disk storage capacities. What we see on the shelves is always 1+ years behind what the manufactures COULD do at a profit, but as long as they're cashing in on the current capacities knowing they can then sell you a larger drive 3-6 months later (doubling profit), why would they release the larger drives? Get it?
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
I'm getting ready to defect.
Ok, maybe not quite ready, but it's a thought that's occuring more and more all the time for a number of reasons.
I'm seriously becoming sickened that I gave 4 years of my life to support this country and help maintain "freedom" when it's coming to this type of behavior. I don't care if there's some back-story here. The Police made it quite clear that they were arresting these people for DANCING. Notice how they wouldn't answer the mans question about what charges he would be arrested on? Also, the treatment of the camera-man at the end who was completely uninvolved and only observing. Thank goodness too because his bravery allows us to see the abuse.
More and more I'm seeing and sensing the reign of King Henry the VIII in this country and he is as responsible for anyone in driving people out of England to establish the UNITED STATES [not federation] OF AMERICA. Of course his neglected but conditioned daughter Queen Mary [aka Bloody Mary] perpetuated things, but the wheels were already in motion.
Someone tell me how I can make a real difference. I'm not being given a choice of president that will help, contacting representatives only results in canned replies and who knows if it makes any difference how many calls I make or letters I write, and clearly protesting is as risky now as it was if you did so as a person of black skin in the 50's. What options are we left with aside from non-peaceful "protest"? Would it matter anyway considering how many people seem to be content to let shit like this go on? If I'm such a minority in feeling this way, then I have no interest in further supporting this country with my hard work, financial revenue, and OBSCENE taxes (don't get me started on the Internal Revenue Scam). If I'm not a minority in my feelings, then I must conclude that I'm surrounded by others who at best are as lost as me in how to respond, but also aren't speaking out enough based on my observations (when did you last contact your congress person or a House representative?). In that case, I still fear I'm doomed and I don't want to be around when the country as a whole gets fed up enough that we end up with a nation wide L.A. Riot-type response (think Rodney King injustice inciting people to act out).
I'm seriously becoming sickened that I gave 4 years of my life to support this country and help maintain "freedom" when it's coming to this type of behavior. I don't care if there's some back-story here. The Police made it quite clear that they were arresting these people for DANCING. Notice how they wouldn't answer the mans question about what charges he would be arrested on? Also, the treatment of the camera-man at the end who was completely uninvolved and only observing. Thank goodness too because his bravery allows us to see the abuse.
More and more I'm seeing and sensing the reign of King Henry the VIII in this country and he is as responsible for anyone in driving people out of England to establish the UNITED STATES [not federation] OF AMERICA. Of course his neglected but conditioned daughter Queen Mary [aka Bloody Mary] perpetuated things, but the wheels were already in motion.
Someone tell me how I can make a real difference. I'm not being given a choice of president that will help, contacting representatives only results in canned replies and who knows if it makes any difference how many calls I make or letters I write, and clearly protesting is as risky now as it was if you did so as a person of black skin in the 50's. What options are we left with aside from non-peaceful "protest"? Would it matter anyway considering how many people seem to be content to let shit like this go on? If I'm such a minority in feeling this way, then I have no interest in further supporting this country with my hard work, financial revenue, and OBSCENE taxes (don't get me started on the Internal Revenue Scam). If I'm not a minority in my feelings, then I must conclude that I'm surrounded by others who at best are as lost as me in how to respond, but also aren't speaking out enough based on my observations (when did you last contact your congress person or a House representative?). In that case, I still fear I'm doomed and I don't want to be around when the country as a whole gets fed up enough that we end up with a nation wide L.A. Riot-type response (think Rodney King injustice inciting people to act out).
Why I'm selling my Samsung Galaxy Nexus and keeping the HTC Rezound
STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS
My SGN never got setup completely (thanks to the rediculously slow transfer required due to lack of sdcard) and even prior, I was so disappointed by the screen quality (so much hype about SAMOLED) and camera compared to my Rezound that it's now just sitting here waiting to be sold while I keep loving on my completely stock Rezound.
I tried using FTP server/client between my SGN and Rezound (over WiFi that proves capable of no less than 12Mbs using Speed Test to San Jose). I also tried using SMB to a maching on my network. I tried Bluetooth File Transfer (both phones do support BT 3.0 supposedly) and finally, I just pulled my sdcard from my Rezound (how nice it was to have that ability), used a card reader to copy files to a PC, then connected the SGN and used MTP to try and copy files onto the SGN. That was the final straw. HOURS later and I just couldn't migrate my files onto the SGN and that's when I decided enough was enough. I wasn't going to try and survive with a "Dev" phone that had no sdcard. Especially when I remember how painful my last two Samsung experiences were (Captivate and Charge).
The screen size is both a benefit and liability depending on my mood so I don't count it, and I'll take the glowing blacks and light bleeding of the Rezounds SLCD screen over the color banding and hashing I saw on the SAMOLED display any day in trade for the amazing colors and density the SLCD gives me. What's more is that it seems there was either a wireless bandwidth limitation or I/O limitation being realized somewhere because when I watched Tudors (Showtime series) via Netflix on the SGN under identical conditions to the Rezound, I never felt I was getting "HD" on the SGN. The rezound never took more than a minute to clean up and lose all the blocking and banding.
HDMI out (need an MHL adapter of course) is another missing feature for the SGN. The more devices I own with this feature, the more I come to appriciate it. I can see why it's so understated when so few applications truely benefit, but the Rezound has an incredible GPU and now OnLive works over Android so more and more, I see my "phone" becoming a truly portable "console" gaming system. Between that, Netflix, Google Video, and soon Vudu I hear, HDMI is a major feature the SGN lacks.
Also, with the extended battery I like how it feels in hand plus I'm getting 16+ hours with 3 hours screen-on and I've seen 26+ hours once when I forgot to charge overnight and only has about an hour of screen on the following day (bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, and 4G enabled constantly). To me, the SGN love seems almost iPhone fanboyish in light of the Rezound being available, but then that does assume my priorities toward the screen and camera which weigh heavily. To someone else those might not matter so much and that could change the equation significantly.
Even ICS was a bit disappointing because apps kept crashing ("Stopping"), especially the browser. In the end, the slightly buggy build of ICS on the SGN seems to be the only significant advantage the SGN has over the Rezound in my opinion.
I can only imagine what kind of experience I'll have when it gets S-OFF and then eventually a fully functional build of ICS. I'm still in awe of how incredibly smooth, snappy, and functional a completely locked, stock, Sense ROM is on the Rezound. The is the first device I've owned since the days of Windows Mobile 5 that I'm not "dying" to hack. I do look forward to a FULLY functional ICS ROM for it, but I won't be running a broken one (read, "NO CAMERA"). ICS just isn't bringing enough to the table for me to temp me that way. I do realize that I'm a rare breed though given my tendencies towards Sense. Heck, the only ROM I've ever been a signicant part of was the ZeusDroid project for the OG Droid and there's a good reason for that. In case that comes as a surprise, that's because I've always been more concerned with supporting developers than getting recognition. My time and loss at AllDroid.org is the ultimate proof. I'll leave that for another day though.
My SGN never got setup completely (thanks to the rediculously slow transfer required due to lack of sdcard) and even prior, I was so disappointed by the screen quality (so much hype about SAMOLED) and camera compared to my Rezound that it's now just sitting here waiting to be sold while I keep loving on my completely stock Rezound.
I tried using FTP server/client between my SGN and Rezound (over WiFi that proves capable of no less than 12Mbs using Speed Test to San Jose). I also tried using SMB to a maching on my network. I tried Bluetooth File Transfer (both phones do support BT 3.0 supposedly) and finally, I just pulled my sdcard from my Rezound (how nice it was to have that ability), used a card reader to copy files to a PC, then connected the SGN and used MTP to try and copy files onto the SGN. That was the final straw. HOURS later and I just couldn't migrate my files onto the SGN and that's when I decided enough was enough. I wasn't going to try and survive with a "Dev" phone that had no sdcard. Especially when I remember how painful my last two Samsung experiences were (Captivate and Charge).
The screen size is both a benefit and liability depending on my mood so I don't count it, and I'll take the glowing blacks and light bleeding of the Rezounds SLCD screen over the color banding and hashing I saw on the SAMOLED display any day in trade for the amazing colors and density the SLCD gives me. What's more is that it seems there was either a wireless bandwidth limitation or I/O limitation being realized somewhere because when I watched Tudors (Showtime series) via Netflix on the SGN under identical conditions to the Rezound, I never felt I was getting "HD" on the SGN. The rezound never took more than a minute to clean up and lose all the blocking and banding.
HDMI out (need an MHL adapter of course) is another missing feature for the SGN. The more devices I own with this feature, the more I come to appriciate it. I can see why it's so understated when so few applications truely benefit, but the Rezound has an incredible GPU and now OnLive works over Android so more and more, I see my "phone" becoming a truly portable "console" gaming system. Between that, Netflix, Google Video, and soon Vudu I hear, HDMI is a major feature the SGN lacks.
Also, with the extended battery I like how it feels in hand plus I'm getting 16+ hours with 3 hours screen-on and I've seen 26+ hours once when I forgot to charge overnight and only has about an hour of screen on the following day (bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, and 4G enabled constantly). To me, the SGN love seems almost iPhone fanboyish in light of the Rezound being available, but then that does assume my priorities toward the screen and camera which weigh heavily. To someone else those might not matter so much and that could change the equation significantly.
Even ICS was a bit disappointing because apps kept crashing ("Stopping"), especially the browser. In the end, the slightly buggy build of ICS on the SGN seems to be the only significant advantage the SGN has over the Rezound in my opinion.
I can only imagine what kind of experience I'll have when it gets S-OFF and then eventually a fully functional build of ICS. I'm still in awe of how incredibly smooth, snappy, and functional a completely locked, stock, Sense ROM is on the Rezound. The is the first device I've owned since the days of Windows Mobile 5 that I'm not "dying" to hack. I do look forward to a FULLY functional ICS ROM for it, but I won't be running a broken one (read, "NO CAMERA"). ICS just isn't bringing enough to the table for me to temp me that way. I do realize that I'm a rare breed though given my tendencies towards Sense. Heck, the only ROM I've ever been a signicant part of was the ZeusDroid project for the OG Droid and there's a good reason for that. In case that comes as a surprise, that's because I've always been more concerned with supporting developers than getting recognition. My time and loss at AllDroid.org is the ultimate proof. I'll leave that for another day though.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Outlook 2010 Export to PST - Another MS UI Screw-up
I had a need to export the entire contents of an Exchange Mailbox to a .PST and for the life of me could find NOTHING in the Outlook UI that even hinted at exporting aside from "File, Save As" which will let you save a single item as a text file.
So of course I Googled and ended up at SherWeb > How to export an Outlook 2010 pst file (Exchange 2007).
Below are the instructions provided on that site and I think they serve to prove how insanely lazy (or careless) MS is getting with Office; a fact I find interesting considering what a cash-cow it is for them.
I've highlighted the most interesting part which happens to also explain why I had to Google to do something which was incredibly obvious (even if still slightly flawed from a UX perspective) in previous versions of Outlook.
I'm not kidding. OPEN, then IMPORT to access EXPORT! You have to wonder what these people are thinking because that's a bit hard to call an oversight and beyond senseless any way you look at it. Thanks to the guys over at SherWeb for saving me the hours I might have otherwise wasted looking for this well hidden option.
So of course I Googled and ended up at SherWeb > How to export an Outlook 2010 pst file (Exchange 2007).
Below are the instructions provided on that site and I think they serve to prove how insanely lazy (or careless) MS is getting with Office; a fact I find interesting considering what a cash-cow it is for them.
I've highlighted the most interesting part which happens to also explain why I had to Google to do something which was incredibly obvious (even if still slightly flawed from a UX perspective) in previous versions of Outlook.
- Open Outlook 2010.
- Go to File - Open and then click on Import.
- Select Export to a file and then click Next.
- Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and then click on Next.
- Select the top-most folder, check the box Include subfolders and then click on Next.
- Click on the Browse button.
- Decide where you will export the .pst file and then click on OK.
- Click on Finish.
- A password box will pop up. Leave all fields blank and just click on OK.
I'm not kidding. OPEN, then IMPORT to access EXPORT! You have to wonder what these people are thinking because that's a bit hard to call an oversight and beyond senseless any way you look at it. Thanks to the guys over at SherWeb for saving me the hours I might have otherwise wasted looking for this well hidden option.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Logitech Revue - Why you shouldn't bother with it
My condolences to those of you unfortunate enough to have wasted your hard earned money purchasing a Revue, especially now that Logitech dropped the price to $99 though that's an understandable move on their part considering what a POS this thing is. I've owned 4 different Android tablets with roughly the same hardware specs and they could all do more than the Revue and FAR faster (especially web browsing which is the primary function of the Revue isn't it?).
I was lucky enough (or was I?) to have been given one thanks to Google I/O and I'm surprised that Google hasn't found a way to revoke Logitech's rights to use Google TV considering what a great job they've done and making it completely underwhelming.
The first deal-breaker for me and the reason I rarely use the Revue is because it's HDMI 1.3 and does not pass 3D. Ironic considering it was pretty much marketed along with DirectTV HD DVRs which are heavily pushing 1080p and 3D content. For that matter though, you can't really use it as it was intended with any decent settop box because of this limitation. I have to put the Revue on a separate HDMI input or give up 3D movies and that means that I can't use the Live TV features of the revue which makes it good for little more than YouTube and web browsing. For $99 that would be a decent deal IF it was a decent web browser, but it's painfully slow so even at $99 it's pointless.
If the 3.1 update ever releases, perhaps it was gain some value, but as long as it can't pass 3D through HDMI, this is a failure of a product in my eyes. Since it has ONLY HDMI connectivity it was clearly meant to be used in more high-end setups yet it's missing a key feature that prevents it from being used in those setups. I just can't see what Logitech was thinking.
So that said, "in weeks to come" is quickly closing in on "in months to come" and I still see no update.
Could it be that Logitech is just plain ripping people off? I mean, wouldn't a decent company, one with some morals, at least admit the reality of the situation if things had just gotten out of their hands? They've already proven to be dishonest with the "by the end of the summer" BS. They would have been better off saying that they had no planed release for an update then provided it, pleasantly surprising us all. They might have lost a few sales thanks to folks like me spreading the word about how useless the device is in it's current state (I mean, I can hook up my tablet or phone via HDMI, use a bluetooth KB, and have a better experience than the Revue provides), but at least they wouldn't have made liars of themselves in a way that pissed off so many people.
For once I'd like to see a company come clean and demonstrate some maturity and morals (ahh hemm, Verizon for example) instead of double-talking, back-peddling, and rhetoric-spewing their customers to the point of anger. Can they REALLY not see that they hurt their bottom line more with such behavior? Clearly their stats can't show it since they have no basis for comparison, but I'd think it would take little more than common sense to draw the right conclusions.
What does my opinion matter though? I've only got 14,000 members at my web site and a couple 1,000 people more listening to me on twitter and G+. It's not like I hold much sway when a company treats me, friends, family, and associates like this does it?
I was lucky enough (or was I?) to have been given one thanks to Google I/O and I'm surprised that Google hasn't found a way to revoke Logitech's rights to use Google TV considering what a great job they've done and making it completely underwhelming.
The first deal-breaker for me and the reason I rarely use the Revue is because it's HDMI 1.3 and does not pass 3D. Ironic considering it was pretty much marketed along with DirectTV HD DVRs which are heavily pushing 1080p and 3D content. For that matter though, you can't really use it as it was intended with any decent settop box because of this limitation. I have to put the Revue on a separate HDMI input or give up 3D movies and that means that I can't use the Live TV features of the revue which makes it good for little more than YouTube and web browsing. For $99 that would be a decent deal IF it was a decent web browser, but it's painfully slow so even at $99 it's pointless.
If the 3.1 update ever releases, perhaps it was gain some value, but as long as it can't pass 3D through HDMI, this is a failure of a product in my eyes. Since it has ONLY HDMI connectivity it was clearly meant to be used in more high-end setups yet it's missing a key feature that prevents it from being used in those setups. I just can't see what Logitech was thinking.
So that said, "in weeks to come" is quickly closing in on "in months to come" and I still see no update.
Could it be that Logitech is just plain ripping people off? I mean, wouldn't a decent company, one with some morals, at least admit the reality of the situation if things had just gotten out of their hands? They've already proven to be dishonest with the "by the end of the summer" BS. They would have been better off saying that they had no planed release for an update then provided it, pleasantly surprising us all. They might have lost a few sales thanks to folks like me spreading the word about how useless the device is in it's current state (I mean, I can hook up my tablet or phone via HDMI, use a bluetooth KB, and have a better experience than the Revue provides), but at least they wouldn't have made liars of themselves in a way that pissed off so many people.
For once I'd like to see a company come clean and demonstrate some maturity and morals (ahh hemm, Verizon for example) instead of double-talking, back-peddling, and rhetoric-spewing their customers to the point of anger. Can they REALLY not see that they hurt their bottom line more with such behavior? Clearly their stats can't show it since they have no basis for comparison, but I'd think it would take little more than common sense to draw the right conclusions.
What does my opinion matter though? I've only got 14,000 members at my web site and a couple 1,000 people more listening to me on twitter and G+. It's not like I hold much sway when a company treats me, friends, family, and associates like this does it?
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