netWORKing

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

iPhone and Windows Mobile problem with Bluetooth and voice control? Anyone? Anyone?

I remember having the exact same problem with my Windows Mobile device so many years ago. I don't think Microsoft was as proactive to fix the problem, and to the best of my knowledge, it still exists with Windows Mobile devices. BlueTooth Voice Control Coming to iPhone? | GottaBeMobile.com

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Wireless obstacles in your home network

Image via Wikipedia

I've had a number of technology changes at home in the last year:

I bought an iPhone 3G, which has curbed my using a laptop at home (in bed mostly)
My TiVo died and I replaced it with a Media Center Extender
The flat panel on the family computer in the kitchen died and I replaced the three year old PC with a all-in-one PC running Vista Media Center (coinciding with and facilitating number 2)
I added an Apple Airport Express with AirTunes my home network allowing me to stream music from my Vista Media Center PC and control iTunes playback with my iPhone

So, yesterday when I read Kevin's article, 3 Reasons People Aren’t Streaming Music , it hit home and made me thing about the problems the average person faces with technology in the home. Kevin refers to a piece by Mike Wolf about Sonos' music streaming hardware; in that piece Mike suggests that cost and alternatives may not keep Sonos alive. Kevin suggest that lack of knowledge is a third contributor to hindering wireless music streaming at home. I believe both arguments have their merits, but I'm going to add a fourth point of struggle.

Most people use wireless at home to connect computers to the Internet and that's it. Kevin makes that point very clearly and he's right. I have a printer connected to my network wirelessly, so that any computer in my house connected to my network can print it it -- so long as they have the appropriate printer driver. My home computers have the driver installed, but if I'm using my work laptop, the one owned by my employer, I have to install my personal printer's driver to print to it. Therein lies the problem. Installing a driver is an obstacle.

As I stated in number 4 above, I added an Apple Airport Express with AirTunes to my home network recently. This is an amazing little wireless router that lets me stream music from iTunes on my Vista Media Center PC in my kitchen to my stereo in the living room, and if that weren't cool enough, I can also control the music playback and volume from my iPhone, which also connects to my wireless network. I had been wanting to do this for ages! I have over 600 CDs ripped onto my computer's hard drive and prior to using the AirPort Express, I used my Toshiba Gigabeat MP3 player connected directly to my stereo to listen to music -- my then, simple alternative.

Having the Gigabeat connected to the stereo was simple, but not convenient. I had to either generate a playlist prior to having a party, or keep returning to the stereo to play the next one or two songs only to return again, etc. The AirPort Express liberated me from having to keep returning to the stereo -- I can create a playlist, use iTunes DJ, or use my iPhone to select the next songs that will play, and my guests with iPhones can make requests. Having all my music stored in iTunes in my computer is great, but the rub is I have to be logged in and have iTunes running in order to make the streaming function. There should be an iTunes music streaming service that runs whenever you turn on the computer. Having to be logged in and have iTunes running is an obstacle.

Obstacles. Things which obstruct or hinder progress. That's what I think is the problem with streaming music, and technology in general, at home. Why is installing a driver necessary? I don't want the advanced functions available from my printer -- the scanning or the card reader functionality. Just give me the ability to print without a driver; if I want more functionality, I'll install the driver. And is it really necessary to keep a user id logged in and an application running in order to stream music? Make a service that provides this connection, or a hidden user id, like the media center extenders use, to provide the connectivity. Get rid of the obstacles. Progress depends on it.

Posted using ShareThis

A case for tethering versus an air card

Image via Wikipedia

I really like to have as few gadgets as possible to perform as much of what I need to do. So, I have had tethering on the brain recently. TechCrunch posted a story yesterday about Adam Savage from Mythbusters and how he was tweeting about an $11,000 charge he got while using a USB wireless modem and roaming in Canada. A USB wireless modem, or air card, performs the same function as tethering a cell phone to a laptop for about the same monthly cost. The difference is you have to purchase and carry one more gadget.

Tethering versus an air card is a personal preference; whatever one finds more convenient. In Savage's case however, tethering may have saved him from getting such a large bill. Per the TechCrunch article, "any phone taken abroad that begins racking up excessive charges will automatically receive an SMS alert." Hence, when using tethering while surfing on a laptop, should you begin to rack up inordinate amounts of charges, you will at least receive a text message notifying you of what's going on and you can call AT&T before they cut you off.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Bluetooth Stereo Heaven

I recently found a deal on the Plantronics Voyager 855 Bluetooth Headset (Black) at my local CompUSA store. I remembered wanting this Bluetooth headset to use with my Cingular 8525, which I recently sold on eBay, but the price was too high. At 1/3 of the price, the heaset was at least worth looking into, and with the new iPhone 3.0 software update promising Bluetooth stereo, I was hoping I would create a match made in heaven.

I couldn't be happier! I have a great Bluetooth headset with a stereo attachment that let's me talk on my iPhone and listen to music in stereo. The headset paired with the iPhone very quickly and a few minutes later I was listening to music via the iPod app on my iPhone.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Is AT&T going to follow it's standard tethering plan with the iPhone?

Image via Wikipedia

While poking around on AT&T's site, I found the following page: PDAs and Smartphones - Data Only. I realized that my iPhone pays the same for data that they offer here with a FamilyTalk plan. Tethering is an additional $30 on top of the data plan (i.e. $65 without an individual or FamilyTalk plan or $60 as an add-on to an individual or FamilyTalk plan). Do we as iPhone users expect AT&T to cut us some slack? I don't. I also do not expect them to charge me any more than any other PDA or Smartphone user would pay for data plus tethering. If they were smart and knocked the price down to a $20 add-on, I'd still grimace, but I might try it out for a month.

iPhone 3G S v. iPhone 3G with the 3.0 software

Image via CrunchBase

I must have nothing better to do, but rather than die of iPhone 3G S envy, I thought I would look through the iPhone User Guide For iPhone OS 3.0 Software, which Apple has graciously provided us. Besides, Acrobat Reader makes is easy for me to search for "3G S only."

Here is what I have found, which does not look like much:

Use the “+” and “–” buttons to adjust the volume using the Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic (iPhone 3G S)
video clips -- record videos from the Camera app, send videos via MMS, view videos in the Photos app, add videos to your MobileMe Gallery, publish videos directly to YouTube; paste a video into an email
See which way you’re facing in the Maps app and use the built-in digital compass
Track your pace, time, and distance from one workout to the next and choose a song to power through your routine using Nike + iPod
Voice Control
You can also display the percentage of the battery charge next to the battery icon in the upper-right corner of iPhone
Tap to focus in the Camera app

That is all I came across! Seven total things that the iPhone 3G S can do that the iPhone 3G with the 3.0 software update cannot. The list is pretty much in the order of number of mentions in the manual, so the really hot new feature is the ability to control the volume with the headphones and the video capability plays second fiddle. In my opinion, the video capture is the biggest selling point for the iPhone 3G S.

The reason I waited to buy an iPhone 3G S for my wife is the Nike + iPod capability of the phone. She currently uses an iPod and the Nike + device to track her running and I always ask her to take her cell phone with her in case something should happen. Now, she just has to carry one device. Personally, I am very happy with the 3.0 software update to my iPhone 3G 16 GB and will wait perhaps until Apple and AT&T offer the 32 GB iPhone 3G s for $149 refurbished.

Yet another, also much easier method to activate Internet tethering on iPhone OS 3.0 | iPhonefreak

At least someone has developed an easy method of using tethering with the new iPhone 3.0 software: Yet another, also much easier method to activate Internet tethering on iPhone OS 3.0 | iPhonefreak. There are rumors that AT&T is going to be charging $55/month for tethering. AT&T doesn't get it -- what makes me, as a consumer, willing to pay so much for a service that I won't use all the time? They would get a quicker adoption rate and even have consumers paying for it without using it, if they simply added another $5 or $10/month to the data plan for the iPhone. AT&T get a clue!

netWORKing

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

iPhone and Windows Mobile problem with Bluetooth and voice control? Anyone? Anyone?