christopherhord

Archive for the ‘Hardware’ Category

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Living with the Google Nexus 7

In Hardware, Reviews, Technology on September 2, 2012 at 3:23 pm

It’s official–I have been living with the Google Nexus 7 for about six weeks now, and I kinda love it.

I’m generally not huge about being on the cutting edge of a product. I’ve been an early adopter several times but, even when I move to a new technology, I rarely do it first thing. I’m happy to let producers shake a few bugs out of a product first. In fact, one need not look any further than the Nexus 7’s rival, the Kindle Fire, for an example. It sold very well early, and then dropped off in a marked lapse of enthusiasm.

My involvement with the Nexus 7 was quite circumstantial. A client offered to send me a loaner when the product came out so I could write a guide for them. They casually mentioned I could take the cost of the device as part of my pay, if I wanted to keep it. Thinking of the Kinde Fire, I hedged and told them I’d write the guide before I decided.

It quickly became clear I would keep the Nexus 7. My eventual ambition is to get an iPad–I like the larger screen, but I did quickly warm to the Nexus 7’s smaller, 7-inch form factor. It fits pretty well into a jacket or coat, my backpack, or even the back pockets of my jeans. I’d recommend you skip the $199 8 GB model and spring the extra $50 for the $249 16 GB. I use the model with 16 GB of storage and, trust me, by the time you add a lot of music and a few videos, you’ll start brushing up against an 8 GB limit pretty quickly.

A big part of my enjoyment of the new operating system, Jelly Bean. I’ve used a few generations of Android now and Jelly Bean strikes me as the most attractive, stable and intuitive version yet. I’ve used the device pretty steadily since I got it and have not had any serious issues with crashes yet.

Don’t misunderstand me, the iPad 3 is definitely the class of the tablet market, from what I’ve seen so far. But the Nexus 7 is a worthwhile challenger. And, if you don’t happen to have $600-$900 to spend on a tablet right now, this $249 model doesn’t feel like a compromise at all.

Nexus 7 Home screen

Nexus 7 Home screen

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GarageBand for iPad, and other apps

In Hardware, Music, Publishing, Technology, Uncategorized on March 30, 2012 at 12:21 pm

My newest gig is writing some beginner-level user guides for Apple’s recently updated GarageBand for iPad app. One of the nice things about this is the client wanted guides for all of Apple’s new iLife apps — GarageBand, iPhoto and iMovie — and wants one version of each for iPhone, and for iPad. Since I haven’t committed to getting an iPad yet, so they’re sending me a loaner for the project. I already have an iPod touch, so that can stand in nicely for the iPhone.

GarageBand icon

GarageBand for iPhone and iPad is quietly revolutionary

I’m already a GarageBand for iPhone user, on my touch, so I decided to start with that one. The more time I spend with that app, the more I become convinced it is truly one of the fines pieces of music software I’ve ever encountered. As both a musician and a programmer, I’m a little picky on this topic.

Don’t have time to go into a lot of detail about the app right now, but I am thinking it’s a topic some readers might enjoy. After I finish the main project, I should probably have some fresh material I can turn into a blog post. So, if you’re a current user of the app, or you’re just curious, keep an eye out for some detailed information in the near future.

Also on deck, some web development adventures with Joomla. That’s a project that has been a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to sharing!

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Project person

In Hardware, Technology on March 7, 2012 at 12:45 pm

The blog post title comes from a friend who, long before the temp/contractor economy took hold, identified that some people aren’t “job people.” Some people are “project people.” I look at my schedule and all the projects I have lined up, and I have to concede — I’m a project person.

One of my big goals for this year is to update the blog more frequently. It’s funny that a journalist, used to the daily grind of churning out stories, should find this such a challenge. But I’m so busy lining up and executing new projects that it’s actually hard to keep up with posting about them

Currently finishing up two manuscripts for hire, a beginner’s guide to using Android smartphones. The manuscript required me to strongly familiarize myself with the Android OS, popular apps and hardware. The first book went to the client two weeks ago — I hope to have the next one done by Monday.

Android operating system logo

Android -- flawed, fractious and free

Look for some interesting information here for Android phone users. I’ve got way more research on the topic than I can fit in these slim volumes, so I’m happy to share some here. We’ll explore how to hack your Android smartphone, if you want to upgrade your operating system to Google’s shiny, new Android 4 OS (a.k.a. Ice Cream Sandwich). It’s a risky procedure, but it’s a lot safer and easier than it was not too long ago.

My other main concern is with syncing data to your Android smartphone from other computers. I already use a desktop computer, a laptop and an iPod Touch so, obviously, the Android has to fit in with my already-existing workflow. In this space, we’ll talk about some of the apps I’ve tried. Hopefully, this may save you time if you are looking to get a new Android phone, or make your Android use more efficient.

Thanks, as always, for reading. And watch this space!


Will your Internet break on June 8th?

In General, Hardware, Internet, Society, Technology on June 7, 2011 at 9:27 pm

Tomorrow, June 8th, is World IPv6 Day and you’ll probably be able to connect to the Internet with no problems, but you may experience unusual or unexpected issues using the ‘net. Here’s what’s going on and why.

World IPv6 Day is June 8th

World IPv6 Day June 8th!

The “IPv6” we’re talking about here is a number which is assigned to any device — like a computer or printer — that uses the Internet. If you look up information from your network or Internet service provider (ISP), somewhere in that information, you’ve probably seen an address like “172.16.254.1”. That is your IP address (and that example shows the old format, an IPv4 address). This format provides enough variations to allow about 4,294,967,296 addresses (says Wikipedia).

The only problem is that the internet has become the victim of its own success. So many devices are connected to the Internet that those 4,294,967,296 addresses will be used up this year. Therefore, many website owners and network operators are switching to a new system called IPv6. Instead of the 32-bit binary number IPv4 , IPv6 will use a 128-bit number. You don’t have to be a math whiz to figure out this is going to make oodles of new addresses available (oodles, being the technical term).

Most Internet users will not notice a difference. Your home ISP or your office network is probably being updated to provide this functionality. In addition, only a handful of the Internet’s largest sites (such as Yahoo and Google) are rolling out IPv6 tomorrow (and they’ll still have regular IPv4 servers available). If you have a standalone device, such as a wireless, Internet-capable printer, you may have to download updates to the machine. If you run your own network servers, hopefully you’re already aware of this issue. If not, get more information from the Internet Society here.

If you’d like to test your connection, you can do so at this IPv6 test site.

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The Informant: Free or cheap clipboard managers to improve your productivity

In Hardware, Technology, The Informant on February 15, 2011 at 12:51 pm
Huggy Bear, Informant

When you think informer, you think Huggy Bear, now don't you?

If, like me, you do a lot of typing to produce content or code on your computer, then the clipboard is your friend. We all know how useful it can be to take a phrase that you’re going to be using often (especially long, difficult-to-spell phrases) and just drop it into your document or form with ease. But your clipboard can help you a lot more than that and you can probably add useful features for free!

The main thing you’ll probably want in this type of program is some sort of copy history. The great limitation of the standard clipboards on Mac and Windows is the ability to hold only one item. If your clipboard could remember, oh, say, the last ten items you copied, it would be easy to store several chunks of text that you’ll be using over and over. Plus, no copying over an important piece of data by accident. Several programs can also handle images and other data as well. Many offer additional features that make them even more useful. Here are some ways to get started.

On my Mac, my clipboard manager is ClipMenu. This free program adds a memory for up to ten copied objects and can be accessed by a simple icon on my menu bar. It also has the ability to store several chunks of text that you use frequently as “Snippets.” You can group these by topics and give them convenient titles so you can remember them. I’ve only been using it about two weeks but it does exactly what it’s supposed to do, with no conflicts with other system resources. Some other popular free programs include Jumpcut and Clyppan. Also, no mention of clipboard managers on the Mac would be complete without mentioning CopyPaste — this grandaddy of Mac cliupboard managers will set you back $30, but it boasts a wide array of features that may benefit power users.

I haven’t explored the clipboard manager offerings for Windows but, during my research, I did encounter an article at organization and productivity website LifeHacker that listed several free Windows options — CLCL, ArsClip and Ditto. ClipMate is pay software, at $34.95, but offers a much larger set of features.

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Computing pioneer Ken Olsen dies

In Hardware, Society, Technology on February 8, 2011 at 12:20 pm

On Sunday, computer industry pioneer Ken Olsen died but I really didn’t start thinking about it ’til yesterday. I was suddenly reminded that Olsen was one of my first big interviews when I got into journalism.

I was a young associate editor with InfromationWeek magazine. This was boomtown Boston of the “Massachusetts Miracle”-era and running the New England bureau for a somewhat influential technology magazine was not a bad place at all for a young man to be.

Olsen’s Digital Equipment Corp was pretty much the big dog in those days — more influential in that region than any company except maybe Lotus. DEC made minicomputers — computers much smaller than classic IBM-style mainframes. They were still pretty big and expensive by later standards but Olsen was a primary force in putting more computing power into the hands of actual workers, instead of a data center. He was also the force behind getting computing into the hands of mid-sized and even small businesses.

Some of those computers even found their way into the hands of individuals, helping spark the PC revolution — Bill Gates and Paul Allen are said to have written some of their first code hacking a DEC PDP-10. Sadly, Olsen vastly underrated the impact of the PC and DEC eventually fell behind the pack.

I was thinking today about the day I drove out to one of DEC’s estate-like campuses. I think it was Northampton, MA. They had originally floated the idea of sending a helicopter down to get me but the New England bureau of InformationWEEK magazine consisted of a couple of offices in a tiny professional building next to a Waltham, MA strip mall. We had no place for a helicopter to land.

Olsen was an imposing man, stocky and bald; he seemed bigger than he was. He was piercingly intelligent and, even while spearheading his company’s attempted charm offensive, it was still clear he didn’t have much patience for stupid questions. Still, he was unfailingly gracious — a CEO out of a more civilized age. He gave me about an hour — remarkable for Olsen at the time. Although we met a few other times, this would be the only time I was able to speak to him in any depth.

Ken Olsen was one of the most importing people who isn’t widely known. Good-by and godspeed.

Computer pioneer Ken Olsen dies

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Western Digital MyBook hard drive, we hardly knew ye

In Hardware, Mac, Technology on February 2, 2011 at 2:38 pm

Disenfranchised in my most recent studio upgrade, it sits forlorn at the end of my table, not connected to anything — a Western Digital MyBook Premium 750 GB external hard drive. It was meant to be a key piece in my new setup — a nice, big drive to hold my Time Machine backups. Instead, it is less than a paperweight. Right now, it’s a brick.

Western Digital is a pretty respected name in the business and the MyBook got more than adequate reviews when it was new. The thing probably came out in about 2007, about the time I got mine. It is moderately small, about the size of a trade paperback book, and stylishly designed.

WD MyBook Premium

WD MyBook Premium

But its first, immediately-obvious problem is that the drive was slow — even for that day and age. Now, four years later, it’s positively pokey. Second was that the included EMC Retrospect Express Backup software was atrocious. Instead of me being able to run nice, consistent, overnight, versioned backups, I too often got processes that froze and crashed my machine, corrupting backup data. I tried other solutions, which were better, but still didn’t provide robust, affordable, reliable backup within my budget (i.e. incredibly cheap or free). Finally, with my new Mac Mini and Apple’s built-in Time Machine, I thought the time had finally come to put this brawny mother into the game.

No go. The Mac Mini could only recognize the drive intermittently. I couldn’t consistently read or write large files to it or format it. It obviously couldn’t be used for backup. I checked a variety of forums to find out why this might be. There were no shortage of people complaining about similar issues — there were just few effective answers. I tried a bunch of software-related fixes but nothing helped. I saw a lot of folks complaining about cheap hardware used in the hard drive enclosure. Many people just yanked the drive itself into a new enclosure and had success with that. Hardware is not my core competency, so that’s a stunt I’ll try some other time.

Western Digital has discontinued the drive so what little support still being done for the model is sporadic and desultory. In several forums, users who wrote Western Digital quoted e-mail responses indicating that WD didn’t much care, if at all. Apple was no more helpful. The only people deeply motivated to solve this issue were us poor schlubs who were affected.

Anyway, the brick sits there, unusable. All in all, it was never particularly useful, given the cost. And I, as a customer, feel ill-used. There are other prominent manufacturers out there like Seagate and LaCie. I’ll try one of them next time.