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/