Nook Touch verses the Kindle 3

For my birthday this year I received an awesome gift, a Nook Touch.  I have been looking at e-book readers for a while and wanted one that was e-paper rather than an iPad or other backlit tablet.  Granted, the tablet device gives you one great advantage, multiple platforms.  However, this comes at a multiple platform cost since I could buy four e-paper devices for the price of one tablet.  Not to mention that difference in battery life.

I spoke with many of my friends who had Nooks and Kindles of different generations to get their thoughts on the platforms that they had chosen.  With positive feedback from each platform I was still left indecisive.  While the Kindle had a larger collection of free books and inexpensive Kindle Singles, the Nook was supported as part of the Ohio eBook Project that would allow me do checkout books from the public library system onto my device. 

I weighed my own experience, I had the Nook and Kindle apps for the PC, I have purchased books on both (free or under $2.00) and saw little difference except for age of the devices (1^st gen Nook vs 3^rd gen Kindle).  I am typically a person who never buys first generation devices because I hate to spend money of buggy devices.  Thus my mind was made up to get the Kindle 3. 

That was until I found myself in a Barnes & Noble one afternoon a few days after the Nook Touch was released, and I was drawn to it.  It was weird, I did not know it was a touch screen device, but I touched the screen for navigation without thinking.  I was surprised at how responsive it was and how quickly the screen refreshed.  With the price of the two devices the same, I had to re-evaluate my choice.

I did a little research, but since the Nook Touch was new there was little information to be found.  I did discover that the OS was a custom version of Android, similar to that of the Nook Color, so it should be stable.  I also just could not get over the capacitive touch e-paper display.  I decided to give it a shot and make the Nook Touch my choice. 

After unwrap and a complete charging I was off to use my new device.  Sadly, I was initially disappointed with the choice of books from the Ohio eBook Project, more specifically the number of formats.  The project hosts books online for public download in four formats (.epub, .pdf, .wma & .mp3).  The Nook supports the .epub and .pdf formats, but each title is not available in all of the formats, and the number available in .wma is the winner by far.  Needless to say, of the over 10,000 books available for download, a very limited number were supported on my device. A 30 minute search yielded three holds and one checkout. Later I would abandon the idea of the ebook formats and just use the Overdrive MP3 player on my phone to listen to the .mp3 formatted books for which there are a number of titles.

So I have now basically lost one of the formats I was planning to use for my ebook consumption.  I still had a number of .PDF formatted books I often used for reference and free and low priced books from B&N.  As I spent more time getting to know my new device, I was disappointed to find that the OS was very limited.  Yes, it was an ebook reader and it did that fine.  I was especially happy with how it displayed .pdf books.  However, the OS was still very limited considering that B&N had built one with Android before.  I was surprised to see that the built in web browser was hidden until I began to experience how often it crashed.  I also became annoyed with the B&N ads at the bottom of the home screen.  Since they changed so often, I figure that the WiFi connection may be busier than I thought.  The B&N website promised 60 days with the WiFi off and 30 days with it on.  They have since changed the website and a battery life with WiFi on is no longer stated.  This is because at the end of week one of leaving the WiFi on, the Nook would not turn on.  The battery was completely dead.  I recharged it and it was back to normal.  I then turned off the WiFi and hoped for better.  Two days later however, it locked up while in use.  I had to perform a hard reset, taking it back to stock to unlock it. 

It was still a new device, but I thought I would look online to see if others were having similar issues, sadly yes.  The battery life seemed to be the main concern, even with WiFi off.  I decided to take it into a local Barnes & Noble and ask them about the problems I experienced.  They were of course surprised and no one had ever heard of any problems.  Their Nook expert admitted that he had read some things online and that he was sure that B&N would release a patch to fix the issue.  Since there is only a 14 return window on the Nook, I opted to return the device.  Two weeks is such a narrow timeframe for returns I felt as if B&N knew that while initial quality would be viewed as high, the Nook Touch did not have the endurance for the long haul.

I have a Kindle 3 now.  I have had the WiFi on for three weeks on the original battery charge and I love being able to upload items to the device via email (a feature I was unaware of prior).  The screen contrast is also a bit better than the Nook.  I miss the touch screen interface, but not the problems.

Xoom vs. iPad 2 or Android vs. iOS

I recently had the opportunity to use both a Motorola Xoom and an iPad 2 over the period of a weekend.  I already own an HTC EVO 4G (rooted and running Android 2.2) and a first generation iPod Touch, so I am very familiar with both operating systems and the availability of applications for each.  Both tablet devices were snappy and preformed well for core functionality (web, email client, book reader apps), but surprisingly the local video playback on the Xoom was very pixilated.  Unfortunately this may be a configuration issue rather than a problem with the device.

I had a similar problem with my EVO 4G that I resolved by changing read speed for the Micro SDHC card to 20 MB/Sec from the default of 3 MB/Sec.  I am not sure if the stock value that will work with any micro SD card was set by Google or HTC, but as the 8GB Class 2 card that comes with the phone can support a speed of 10 MB/Sec.  Fortunately, since the Android OS is customizable, I was as I said able to resolve the problem.  I wonder however why HTC did not adjust the value to optimize device performance.

 

In my opinion, the ability to customize the UI, system setting and various elements of the operation system is both the greatest strength and weakness of the Android OS.  I love the Android OS and the ability to configure my phone to my taste was what attracted me to the platform.  However, I feel that this is also a weakness because, whereas I have optimized my phone to perform faster and have a better then stock battery life, much of what I did should be been done by the phone manufacturers who.  My natural inclination to learn drove me to search developer forums, seeking out the ways in which to optimize my device for my liking and make if perform as it should.  However, what is the non-tech minded Android owner to do?  My honest answer is to buy an iPhone.

 

I am not saying that a non-tech types can’t learn to use Android devices, my wife is can use hers just fine, once I made a few changes and taught her a few things about it.  Having owned iOS devices, I can honestly say that they always just work.  The UI has become a little out dated and could use a refresh, but Apple controls the hardware and the software and with the exception of the antenna issues with the iPhone 4, the devices always deliver a great performance.  This experience emphasizes the idea iOS devices are properly tuned from the factory, as all devices of this nature should be.

This brings be back to my experiences with the Xoom and iPad2.  As many reviewers have already stated, the Android 3.0 OS is a little clunky.  Although the UI enhancements to the app drawer and home screen are nice, apps seemed to load slowly for a dual core processor.  However, although there are only a limited number of Honeycomb optimized apps, every Android app I used on the device including many that I downloaded scaled beautifully to full screen.  This is a big advantage this device has over the iPad2 who’s apps if not optimized for the larger screen looked horrible when in full screen mode.  The speakers on the Xoom also left something to be desired, there was a tinny sound to them.  I don’t know how Apple does it, but the speakers both generations of the iPads have always had a full rich sound.

 

Beyond that, both devices became heavy in the hand after 20 minutes or so of holding  so I found ways to prop each of them up.  The Xoom did not have a case which made it harder and to be honest, the iPad2’s magic cover became rather annoying.  It left marks on the screen where the creases formed for the cover, it did not fold to the triangle shape as easy as I felt it should and it always felt a little unstable.  The fact that it tuned the device on when opened was nice, but not much a time saver as all of the devices I use have passwords on them.

In the end, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of both devices, I have to say that in my opinion, the iPad2 is the better device.  I always knew what to expect from the iPad2 from a performance standpoint and it always delivered on a consistent basis.  I think I will always carry an Android Smartphone, but if I was in the market for a tablet today, I would buy the iPad2.     

Amazon Has Its Head in the Clouds

Today Amazon launched its cloud storage service for customers offering for free, 5GB of online, reachable from anywhere, data storage.  US customers who purchase at least one digital music album from Amazon get 15GB of extra space for the first year ($20/year thereafter).   Mp3 files that are purchased from Amazon can be saved to the cloud drive and they do not count against the storage limitations.  This of course lends more credence to my prediction that Amazon is planning to introduce an Android powered tablet this year.

The cloud storage supports other file types as well; the default folder structure includes music, pictures, videos and documents implying that there are no real restrictions on file types.  File upload size is limited to 2GB per file which is much larger than other free services such as Skydrive, but the mechanism for upload is one file at a time using a web interface.  This of course is more difficult than systems like Dropbox.  Other than file size, the biggest advantage I see is that access is over https, which is available everywhere unless the site its self is specifically blocked.

Amazon also offer a browser based audio player for the music you store in their cloud and the Amazon MP3 app for Android has been updated to support audio streaming of your collection as well.

Since this will be the 4th such cloud based storage solution I have, I think I utilize it a little differently.  Given the generous file upload size, I think I will make a backup of the important files from my local PC, encrypt it using TrueCrypt, then move it to the cloud for safe keeping.  This will not be my only backup of course, but the price is right as a secondary.

I would encourage anyone looking for additional file space to give Amazon Cloud Drive a try.  I would read over the terms and conditions as well as the disclaimers; as with anything that is free, you are the only party responsible for your data.

Outlook Error Message: Can't create file...

This error message graced me with its presence again this week so I thought I would put out the quick fix in the case that anyone else might have been as blessed.


Error Message:
 
"Can't create file: FILE NAME.doc. Right-click the folder you want to create the file in, and then click Properties on the shortcut menu to check your permissions for the folder."

Cause:

Microsoft Outlook uses a temporary folder to save and open the attachments. 
By default that folder is: C:\Users\%Username%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK#\ (where # is a random number). Some of the security updates for Windows going back as far as 2000 rewrite the past statement in the registry and prevent the file from being created in that folder. The solution is correct the path statement to one that exists. 

Solution:

1. Run Regedit
2. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\Security
3. Note: Depending on your version you may have to modify that path after the "Office" key. You may have folders 8.0, 9.0, 10.0, 11.0, or 14.0 go the highest number. This is probably the version that you use.
4. Modified the Key "OutlookSecureTempFolder", by replacing "Temporary Internet Files" with "Temp". Right click on this item and select 'Modify'.
5. Restart Microsoft Outlook.

For example:


Windows XP 
OLD VALUE: C:\Documents and Settings\%Username%\Local Settings\Temporary 
Internet Files\OLK177\ (you may have different number than 177) 
NEW VALUE: C:\Documents and Settings\%Username%\Local Settings\Temp\OLK177\ 


Windows Vista and 7 
OLD VALUE: C:\Users\%Username%\Local Settings\Temporary 
Internet Files\OLK177\ (you may have different number than 177) 
NEW VALUE: C:\Users\%Username%\Local Settings\Temp\OLK177\ 

Kimchi

I really like Asian food, one of my favorite dishes is Kimchi.  This very popular Korean dish is best described as a spicy, slightly sweet, fermented cabbage.  I don't know what it is about Kimchi, I just have a taste for it, which seems odd to many I know. If you couldn't guess from my description, the main ingredient is cabbage, but depending on who has made it and even what season it is, Kimchi can have anything from cucumbers, carrots, potatoes, parsley, pine nuts, onions, leeks, radishes, garlic and peppers.  The latter few ingredients are probably most responsible for the unique and quite strong aroma.  It is not bad, just very strong.

Although Kimchi is a traditionally something prepared at home, you can purchase it at the store.  One of my favorites is made by a company in Cincinnati called Fab Ferments.  They are a small operation, but they have some great recipes.  Speaking of recipes, historians have uncovered Kimchi recipes as old as 3000 years, and of course they are as diverse and the ingredients within.  Therefore, I felt no need to break from traditional and I created my own.  I don't plan to go into business making Kimchi, so if you fancy it, and would like to give a go at my mix you can fine it Here.  Good eating!

Stylus Problems on the HP 2710p

A number of employees where I work have HP 2710p tablets running Windows XP Tablet Edition.  These units are only a couple of years old so as we migrate our network to Windows 7 I have been working on a standard build in which to deploy to these devices.  Unfortunately, there seems to be a minor problem with some of the built in drivers for the stylus.  When installing a volume license of Windows 7 Professional (other versions may have the same issue) the driver that Windows chooses only supports partial functionality, for which the Inking function in Microsoft Office is one of the missing abilities.   

At the time, I could find little or no support online, including HPs website.  Unfortunately, I came across a few others that have the same problem.  Thus, I turned to those good old troubleshooting skills I learned so long ago.  Below is the fix I discovered that worked for me, if you too have discovered this problem then this may work for you as well.

1. Go to Device Manager and look under Human Interface Devices and look for a Wacom Pen device.
2. If the device is anything other than “Wacom Serial Pen Tablet”, right-click to uninstall and checkmark the box to delete the driver (otherwise it will reinstall with the same driver). 
3. Once deleted you will see an unknown item, right-click on your computer at the top of the device list and Scan for hardware changes. 
4. Once the unknown device has been installed, go back to the HID and confirmed if the new pen device is than “Wacom Serial Pen Tablet”
5. If it is not, repeat steps 3 – 6.

I had to repeat the process twice to purge the incorrect drivers from the system.  Good Luck!

Chrome and ActiveX

For the purposes of full disclosure, I am a big admirer of Google and I use Chrome exclusively.  If I cannot use Chrome then I use Firefox.  I do not like Internet Explorer for many reasons that I will save for another post.  Unfortunately, there are some websites or web based applications that only work with Internet Explorer.  

Some sites actively block browsers other than Internet Explorer; other sites rely on ActiveX controls that are not supported by Chrome or Firefox.  Both Chrome and Firefox have extensions available such as IE Tab that will allow you to use your preferred browser when visiting these types of sites.  This solution of course does not work for all sites leaving you either disappointed or faced with an opportunity.  I choose to be faced with an opportunity and have crafted the following means to achieve victory.

To get IE only websites to play nice with Chrome you must achieve two goals:

First you have to fool the webserver into thinking that you are running IE.  I accomplished this by installing the Chrome Extension User-Agent Switcher - From Here and set the value to Internet Explorer 8.

Second, you have to enable full ActiveX support.  This is disabled by default for all browsers except for Internet Explorer  due to the numerous exploits in the wild.  I accomplished this by creating a shortcut to my Chrome executable and adding “--allow-all-activex” to the end of the Target value on the Shortcut used to launch the app.

 
C:\Users\%Username%\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe --allow-all-activex

  
** I launch this instance of Chrome separate since ActiveX is enabled for all pages.

Lastly, for good measure, I also installed the Chrome Extension called IE Tab - From Here It is not necessary, but it doesn't hurt.

Imaging with Windows Deployment Services

I have been using Windows Deployment Server for about a year now and have really grown to love it.  That is not to say that there were not some barriers to cross initially, many of which were not always clearly identified.  Below you will find some How To Guides that I wrote for myself and for my classes to help streamline some of the more popular uses for WDS.  Please feel free to download and use the instructions for yourself, especially if you are new to using this product.


How To Guides:

• How To Use ImageX To Capture A Clean Image From A Reference PC
• Using Sysprep with Windows 7
• Adding Images to and Deploying from WDS
  

Useful Links:

• WAIK (Windows Automated Installation Kit) for Windows 7
• DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) Technical Reference
• Microsoft Download Center: Building a Standard Image of Windows 7 Step-by-Step Guide
• Microsoft Download Center: Windows Deployment Services Step-by-Step Guide

Overview:Presentation

An Amazon Android Tablet?

Apple gained more ground today in the battle between Android and iOS for mobile device superiority. The announcement of the iPad 2 will allow Apple to continue to dominate the tablet market. Not however for the reasons that many may think.

I am glad to see the new iPad gain the forward and rear facing cameras, the dual core processor and media sharing, but the U/I is dated. The addition of folders in iOS 4 were helpful, but the screen full of icon and having to swipe page after page to find a app, then open it just to get info and poor notifications does not a functional tablet make. The iOS U/I is tolerable for the smaller screened phone, but not for a tablet.

The Honeycomb U/I has a more polished and user friendly feel, but the iPad2 will continue to dominate the tablet realm because no decent hardware manufacturer will release a WiFi only Android tablet for under $500. This and this alone is what is holding Android back in the Tablet arena.

In the phone arena Android has gained a lot of ground, much of this in the US is due to the iPhone being restricted to AT&T. No one had a problem buying an expensive Android phone because it is subsidized by the carriers. Honestly though, how many people need or want a 3G or 4G data plan with a tablet? WiFi is abundant, but all of the decent Android tablets are locked to 2-year agreements in order to make the price reasonable.

So why if Apple can sell a WiFi only tablet for a fair price won’t others? Simple, Apple has an eco-system. If you buy an iPad you are locked to the iTunes store for Apps and somewhat for music and video as well.Motorola, Samsung, HTC will sell you a tablet and it is end of story, there is no more money for them to make from you until you upgrade. This is also the reason I feel that Apple has provided updates for their iOS devices for at least two years after the sale because they are still making money from them. They did abandon the 1^st Gen iPhone and iPod Touch with iOS 4.0 and the 2^nd Gens with iOS 4.3, but Android phones are lucky to see one, possible two OS updates, but not two years of support from the makers because there is not money to be made unless you buy a new phone. Android tablets are new to the market, but I don’t expect the behavior to change.

This brings me to the title of my post, in order for Android to truly meet Apple evenly on the playing field, we need someone with an eco-system. Google has already said that their phones (the Nexus One and S) are primarily for developers, so sadly they will not be our savior. So for the record and I predict that Amazon will release a 7” Android powered tablet this year for $350 and a 10” version for $450. I say this with confidence because they already have an ecosystem in place. The Amazon MP3 store, their video on demand and the forthcoming Android App store, it only makes sense that they could pull this off. Plus they have manufacturing experience with the Kindles. With money to be made from the devices they could ensure that their tablets have a 2 year OS support life which in the long run would make them the de facto choice for consumers.


4/21/11 - Update: http://gdgt.com/discuss/amazons-tablet-coming-but-what-will-it-d07/