The Future?

As the geeks of this world are well aware, CES is in session. This being the Consumer Electronics Show held annually in Las Vegas, for those the normal people out there. Although I'm nowhere near the USA, i am following closely on the whats new and newsy in the world of consumer electronics. While reading the articles from the CrunchGear site (there's actually a team there i believe. A couple of them are attending with laptops, cameras, etc. so the articles are pretty much posted as it all happens. nice) i came across a Netbook by EMTEC (Yes the guys previously known as BASF. If you grew up in the 90's you would remember the name because they manufactured blank cassettes for your stereo and VCR) that has a very interesting little feature. This little laptop doesn't have a built in HDD or SSD. Oh no, its a little more personal than that.
 

It features a G-Key, which is simply a USB disk that you slip into the device. What's so unique about this? Well for a start, your entire operating system, documents, settings, pictures, music, etc. are all stored on this little gadget. OK maybe not fancy, its just a bootable USB drive with Mandriva Linux with a persistent configuration.....in English, its just Linux on a USB drive set up in a way that the USB drive acts like a normal HDD. You, YES YOU, can even make one yourself, as i have done many times in the past.

But this actually got me thinking....what if? What if this became a standard? I know that computer motherboards have been able to boot from a USB drive for years now (sooo useful when you have windows and it crashes.....as windows does). Imagine this. You're at the office working on some documents, you feel like listening to a little bit of music, maybe even browsing the web for some downloads or new software. Simple enough, anyone can do that. Now the interesting part. You shut down, pull out your G-Key, clip it back onto the lanyard around your neck (VITAL. These things can easily get lost people.....EASILY....and god knows what you would have on it) and make your way home. As you're making your way through the streets, you realize you forgot to send an important email and it HAS to be done today. Easy. Just pop into an internet cafe or maybe even a Starbucks (I'm dreaming, OK?), unclip your G-Key, slip it in, and there's your desktop on the screen with all your documents, settings, music, etc. just exactly the same as it was in the office. Open your email client (hopefully its Thunderbird....just thought I'd plug another Mozilla app quickly), write your oh so important e-mail, and send. Shut down, unplug, clip on, carry on home. When you get home, unclip, plug in, turn on. Again, your very same personalized desktop in all its glory on your laptop or desktop. Work on a couple docs, listen to your music, maybe buy some software online that you need at work (Office? Please don't).

Simple enough, right? But suppose Junior feels like checking his mail and getting on MySpace. Well, you wouldn't want him to mess up your desktop with his (excuse the french...) crap. Unplug again, and let him put his own G-Key in. Now his desktop will be on the screen, completely isolated from yours. He can download his umm....stuff, viruses, spyware and everything undesirable and crash his system. But yours will remain safe in the palm of your hand, back pocket, bottom drawer, jacket.....wherever.

Are you getting the concept yet? Your personal computer, in your pocket or around your neck, WHEREVER you go. Something to ponder about, isn't it? The simplicity of not having to buy separate licenses for software on two computers that you use everyday (Software companies will NOT like this idea), not having to download music onto a flash disk and then upload to your personal computer when its within your grasp. No chaos when you get home and realize you needed so forward those emails or send those documents, or that a spreadsheet needs to be completed.

If you want more information on making your own G-Key (although it won't be. it will just be a USB drive with Linux on it) then visit PendriveLinux.com. They have step by step guides on how to create Persistent and Non-Persistent installations for a vast number of Linux flavors. Heck, they even have their own. Anyone can do it. If you have any questions, feel free to comment or email me. Address is somewhere on the site.


(P.S. The above screenshot is actually the Pendrivelinux desktop rotating. Nifty, huh?)

Blogged with the Flock Browser

The Scoop....what have i found this time...hmm....

After scavenging the web for interesting apps, i decided it was time to take a look at the desktop applications for Facebook. Seeing as i already had a couple, namely Flock and AlertThingy, i thought it might be a good idea to see what else they have.

Being overly impressed with the Flock Browser, i had a feeling there might be other great apps hidden in the list somewhere. But first, let me talk about the almighty Flock.

Just over a week into using it now and i can say that Firefox3 has been replaced as my default. I know it doesnt really make sense if you are a computer geek, because you would realize that Flock is just a suped up FF3.....and had i felt like it, i could have done all the modifications myself. BUT ANYWAY, i wanted to try something new. Did i mention its backward compatible with FF3 add-ons? I found out by accident. I checked the Flock Add-Ons page and found almost nothing, so in my last desperate attempt to customize what i could, i resorted to experimentation. With good reason however, because this is after all FF3.

The OpenID integration is superb. No longer do i have to spend hours logging into social networks, navigating through pages and pages of links, and then sitting here for an eternity trying to upload photos, only to find the connection failed and i have to select all 60 photos again. No longer do i have to log into my blogger page just to write a quick post. No longer do i have to check my RSS feeds every five minutes to see whats new and newsy. No longer do i have to make notes about links i want to come back and visit or show to friends. NO LONGER!

I seriously seriously SERIOUSLY recommend EVERYONE to go and get this browser. Now if we could get this with a Chrome sort of concept.....hmmmm.

I should actually get around to writing about some really useful add-ons i found for the FF3 users. IE users, sorry. I don't swing that way anymore. Its all about Mozilla now. And now the Facebook apps.

I downloaded two this morning. Facebook Desktop (who would have guessed?), and Scrapboy. And so far (because i'm spoiled with Flock), i can say that Facebook Desktop is a disappointment. In my opinion. I was really hoping it would have an IM function in it, but its basically the same as my People Sidebar in flock. Displays messages, friend requests, pokes, your status and wall posts. In fact, its pretty much just an app that displays your notifications. Everything you click opens a browser window....nothing is actually happening in the app. Lame. And everytime i start it, i find myself being directed to the facebook site to log in.....what IS the point of this really if im going to open my browser to facebook everytime? The little window isnt even big enough to show my full name, and you can't resize it. Ha...

FACEBOOK DESKTOP CLIENT


Scrapboy looks promising though. I downloaded it half an hour ago and im slightly excited (how sad, right?) to try it out. So far it logs in well, has a PROPER, and i can IM and write wall posts and messages from within the app. More info on this as soon as i've taken it for a test run. Theres bound to be some Gems in there, and with me being the type of person i am, i will find them somehow. Intersting GUI though.

SCRAPBOY

(just noticed GIMP kinda stroked out in this screenshot :S)

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Flock and Me :)

A couple nights ago i was just browsing the web. I came across some old favorite links in my Firefox and decided to just go through them...just for the fun of it to see what i had been bookmarking. I must have come across some forum (probably Ubuntu, cos it was something to do with Linux....i don't remember my damn self.) and i saw something about a social networking browser. Then i saw that it was based on Firefox3....which was all i needed to see really. A few clicks later i had downloaded it and was on my way to setting it up, which didnt even take long.

Flock is the name of the browser. Its not my favorite, to be completely honest, but i'm using it as much as possible to get used to it. Thus far i can actually say i recommend it to anyone who is a member on a number of social networking sites. Why? I'll try and explain it.

The browser has a feature called OpenID which allows you to simultaneously connect to a number of social networking sites. This allows you quick and easy access to updates, notifications, etc without having to even open the site. So, while your on whatever site you're viewing, just pop open the side bar, change your Facebook status, maybe check your requests (friend, group, application, etc) and you messages, and even check your friends current status messages. Then check what your friends on YouTube have done recently, then onto MySpace, and so on and so forth. All in a sidebar.

The so called Flockbar is currently my favorite feature on the browser. With buttons to pop open:-

• the people sidebar,
• media bar (pops up at the top of the window to show videos on your YouTube account. either what you added, favorite or anything recently added or favorite. and more),
  
• RSS feeds (in the sidebar),
  
• mail (opens a new tab),
  
• favorites (sidebar),
  
• photo uploader (new window),
  
• blog editor (new window),
  
• accounts and services sidebar,
• and a very useful feature... the web clipboard sidebar.

More info on Flock available at the homepage.

Another thing. Its a cross platform browser. So if you're on XP, Vista, OS X or any Linux distro, you can use it.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

As with the iPod before, iPhone shall have a smaller sibling.....really?

So just the same as the iPod had the iPod Mini, and then Nano, the iPhone will too! Or so it is written. The rumours surfaced a couple of weeks back, but until now there has been no concrete evidence of an iPhone Nano. But is it really true? So far I've seen a case mock-up diagram, and two supposed pictures of what the real thing looks like.....which is a bit confusing considering they look different?

The first photo i saw yesterday is probably just a hoax. But it does look mighty fine though.....probably because it just looks like someone photo shopped a picture of an iPhone 3G and made the "Nano" the size of the supposed case from the mock diagram.



The second picture i saw is actually from the manufacturer of iPod and iPhone cases, XKSN. So this is more than likely the real deal. Somehow not as flashy as the "photo shopped" one but i would still buy one....considering that its going to be sold at $99...or so the rumors said.The big issue with a Nano would be compatibility. The device is smaller, and probably has lower spec components than the 3G and some apps might not function as well. Screen size might also be an issue if the Nano has a lower resolution. But with Apple being Apple, I'm sure they'll work something out. Maybe a special Nano section in the App Store? That should ehm...separate the men from the boys, right?

No blogs for a while.

Due to time constraints, a busy season and me being sick this week, there have been and might not be any blogs for a little while. Apologies if anyone actually even reads this shit (doubt it but i tried anyway).

For now heres some links to my mixes i just uploaded onto FileFactory.com

Most of them are pretty big but pretty good.

- Big F**king House Part 1 (House mix)
- 138 BPM (Trance Mix)
- Hard Style Nation (Trance Mix)
- Funky House 07 (House Mix)
- Twista feat. Kanye West vs. Trentemøller - Overnight Celebrity vs. Give A Little
- Twista feat. Kanye West vs. Trentemøller - Overnight Celebrity vs. Polar Shift
- Souljaboy vs. Trentemøller - Crank Dat vs. Polar Shift
- Premix 07 Demo

and the big one,

- Whoppa 2008 Demo Mix (a.k.a. Shivers 2008)

I'm a Google Fanboy!!!! Cloud Computing, Android, and yet another Mac Clone.

So its early, i have things to do but i HAD to write up these first two stories. The fact that i'm a MAJOR Google Fanboy doesn't help one bit. U know when u get excited about Christmas? Thats how i feel right now....and not about Christmas.

Google will now be offering a developement version of the G1 Android phone. What does that mean? NO LOCKS! They will be removing the SIM locks and hardware locks allowing developers to modify the phone as well as create applications for it without the hassle of getting a T-Mobile contract and then bugging them for the unlock codes. Price is said to be $399 with a mandatory $25 registration fee on the Android Market site (where you will be selling your applications you are supposedly developing with your new phone....right). Sorry Apple but i might be changing my mind on getting an iPhone......hmmm.

More from Google. Ever heard of Cloud Computing? If not, Cloud Computing is supposedly the future. Cloud Computing will allow a user to access their personal documents, videos, music, pictures and just about everything else they do with their computer......anywhere! All you need is a subscription to a host server where your files are stored, and a terminal with internet access.
The concept has been around for a while, in some way or another, and i think Google will be the first there. Google already has the capabilities. What am i talking about, you might ask? The Google Cloud OS, naturally. Yes they have it in testing stages already, and to me it looks like it's going to be a big deal. The OS boots in about 6 seconds (yes 6 seconds. i saw it for myself) and consists of nothing but a Chrome Browser window. Don't panic. Theres more to it than that. The chrome browser features a "Mac like" dock at the bottom of the window with shortcuts to common applications, most, if not all of which are web based (e.g. Google Calendar, Docs, Reader, Blogger, Gmail, Youtube, etc.). If you ever used any of the original gOS's such as gOS Space or gOS Gadgets (if you dont know, visit gOS, googles operating system homepage), you will be familiar with the dock.

Obviously MP3 and Video playback is supported (somehow. i havent been able to get my hands on a copy of the OS unfortunately) as well as other normal features like volume control and battery level indicator, which are both integrated into the browser window. Best feature of all is the OS can run on any machine thats x86 based and with 128MB RAM. So dig up your dinosaurs from that closet in the back room and set up a quick access internet terminal? Why not, if you wanna get online fast and just browse and stuff, its worth it. And don't worry about rendering XP (or whatever OS you have on your computer. Mac and Linux included) useless. Cloud has a button on the dock that allows you to boot into your host OS at the click of a button.

I want this.....but rumor has it that the release will be in January. Oh well, another month.

Now you would think with Psystar's legal issue with Apple, anybody making a Mac clone would think about backing off and scrapping their project until things settle. No. Yet ANOTHER company has brought out a Mac Clone. This one being a Tablet version of a MacBook called a Modbook. It's actually an updated version to a previous one they released, but i still dont think now is the right time. And at $2,249? I guess it really is a Mac clone huh.

Now to start saving up for the G1.....fun. Is that model even going to be available in europe? Huh.

Facebook Virus???? iMac Clones and Nokia 5800 is already out.

First off, apologies. According to Mobility Today, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic was released on October 2nd. Either i read the original article wrong, or CrunchGear had it wrong. As promised, i'm bringing you the tech specs.

Input method is pretty much the same as the iPhone. The phone features an on screen full QWETY keyboard which can be used in Portrait and Landscape modes. It also features a Guitar Pick like accessory that makes for easier typing, as well as handwriting recognition when the phone is used with the stylus that slides out the bottom. Display is a 3.2" widescreen with 640x360 resolution on a 16:9 ratio, naturally.

The interface features a "Media Bar" with shortcuts to the most commonly used media applications such as Video, Music, Internet and so on. Other features are a 3.2mp camera, integrated sterio speakers, a second camera on the face for video calls (this was supposed to be big at one stage but does anyone even use this feature anyway?) and the usual GPS, Bluetooth, 3G, HSDPA and Wi-Fi.

Most important, the capacity of the device. The phone itself comes with an 8GB microSD card but is capable of using a 16GB. Internal memory is 81mb. I think this is one model thats might just turn the tables in the iPhone arena. The fact it's capable of making video clips (up to 90 minutes long depending on the memory card), and the hardware seems pretty jacked up might mean a cheaper and possibly better alternative to the iPhone. Looks are pretty much the same. But still....somehow the iPhone just seems that much more glamorous than anything else out there, doesn't it?

Argentenian firm OpeniMac has pretty much ignored the Psystar vs. Apple legal issue and released their own iMac clone. The company is currently offering 2 machines. The OpeniMac is only $990 and ships with 2GB of memory, 320GB HDD, and a 256MB ATI Radeon HD Pro. The OpeniMacPRO will run ya, $1,710 but is a 3.0GHz machine with 4GB of ram and a 20-inch widescreen LCD. You probably think i'm against Apple now because i've been writing up on alternatives to their products but thats not the case. Like i said, if i had the cash, i would definitely drop some into Steve Job's pocket, no matter the cost. One more thing....the computers appear to be in Spanish only. Hmmm....

According to Cnet.com, there's a new worm virus thats hit facebook. The virus comes as a private message asking the user to click on a link to view what is apparently a "funny" picture of them. The browser then connects to another website where the user is prompted with a message to update FlashPlayer, which is where things start to go downhill.....provided you're not smart enough to look at the signature of the software manufacturer. IE should pick up that the software vendor signature is not valid and warn you about opening the file.

My advice to stay safe, whenever you encouter a situation like this. Cancel or ignore everything, and go directly to the Adobe website and look for your update. That is, if you are using a browser that doesnt recognise the signatures. (i think they all do but i'm not sure. i'm a Firefox and Google Chrome fanboy so those are the only two i use.)

More info on Cnet.com. Link here.

If anyone wants links to the full stories (where available) i'll be more than happy to send them. Leave a comment or send me a message.