One of the things I immediately thought of when I got my iPad was how it would do when it comes to video playback. Now, according to the technical specifications, Videos, the built-in video player is able to handle both .mov and .avi. On trying to transfer .avi-files, however, I was told that the format was unsupported.
The problem, of course, is the fact that avi is simply a container format, able to contain a myriad of differently encoded movies. However, I was annoyed that I couldn’t even transfeer the files to the device. As a result, I went out and tried to find a good alternative, and found not one, but two, that both have strengths and weaknesses. Here, then, are my thoughts on the three movie playback apps I’ve got on my iPad; Videos, CineXPlayer and VLC:
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Blog
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The iPad and videos – an app review
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Unmuting a conversation in GMail
Ever since I started using GMail a few years back, it’s been my primary mail service, with all my other email accounts feeding into it. A while back, I was unlucky enought to mute a conversation. The mute option, while great when getting tons of emails about updates to threads on boards, can be annoying when you manage to mute an email that you actually need to read.
The solution is fairly simple, and centres around Google’s approach when it comes to GMail; archive instead of deleting, searching instead of sorting. What the mute function actually does is automatically archiving new emails in a given conversation, bypassing the inbox altogether. To get the emails back to the inbox, you need to do the following:
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Taking screenshots in Mac OS X
My fiancée has been using a Mac for close to a year now, and it’s a pretty nifty machine, I’ve gotta say. However, things are fairly different to what she, and I, are used to. One thing she does fairly often, is take screenshots, which she had a bit of trouble with until we figured out how.
The problem, of course, is that Mac OS, unlike Windows, does not have a dedicated key on the keyboard for taking screenshots. Instead, they use hotkeys. The hotkeys and their effects are as follows:
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Why I blog
I have been blogging for a long time now, and am very likely to continue doing so. I have my own domain, and prefer that to using one of the many, many blogging sites out there. This blog is the one that gets the most updates and attention from me, for a few reasons;
First off, it’s my personal online knowledge base. It is where I have a large amount of the solutions that I have researched and implemented in my job as a support technician.
Secondly, it’s a way to get my name “out there”, as a resource in both technical issues as well as in documentation. I have, in fact, gotten jobinterviews because of my blog, and am changing jobs come 2011 because of an interview I took after the recruiter read a few posts on my blog.
Thirdly, I like the fact that I have a soapbox from which to publish my opinions. Be it the choice of a smart phone, my thoughts on multitasking on handheld devices or anything else, I enjoy being able to voice my opinion, and track the responses to these opinions.
The fact is that I am in my third year of blogging on technical issues, and I will continue doing so for the foreseeable future, or at least, that’s how I feel now… -
Mobile multitasking – Android versus iOS
The two main contenders in the mobile OS world today have two vastly different approaches to multitasking. Both have merits, and potential drawbacks. Let’s have a look:
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How to: Set default save format in Open office
At work, I use Microsoft Office, and have done so for as long as I have been working. At home, however, I use Open Office. It suffices for most of my needs, and works nicely. The problem with using a different set of software at work and at home is that Microsoft Office by default uses its standard formats (.doc, .xls, .ppt) and Open Office by default uses its standard formats.
The reality of life is that most people use Microsoft Office, and that they don’t have OpenOffice installed, so it makes sense to save in Microsoft Office formats, instead of in Open Office formats. Of course, you can do this manually for each file, but that’s a waste of time, and really doesn’t make sense. Instead, why not set it so that OpenOffice automatically saves in Microsoft Office format? Here’s how:
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BitLocker asks for BitLocker Recovery Key at restart
Having gone from Windows XP to Windows 7, we are seeing a rash of new problems. One of these is that a lot of our users are unable to boot into Windows, as they are prompted for a BitLocker Recovery Key. The temporary fix for this is simple enough; look up and tell the user the BitLocker Recovery Key, and have them enter it. Well, I say simple, but the BitLocker Recovery Key is a string of eight segments of six digits, and having to enter this each and every time you reboot gets … tiresome … very quickly.
So, let’s see if we can’t improve on that. There are two methods, the first usually suffices, but sometimes, I’ve had to go for the second. The first solution is as follows:
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There’s an app for that, or, my must-have apps for the iPad
I simply adore my most recent toy. A slim and slender device the iPad is a perfect example of what product design can be when you put your mind to it. However, the iPad is just the platform, without apps, it has very little value in and of itself.
There is a plethora of apps, but there is a lot of chaff, and not all that much wheat, and finding the good ones can be a real challenge. Still, it all depends on what you want from your iPad, and in the end, you’ll find a lot of good apps.
What apps, then, are my favourites? Here goes:
The iWorks suite with Pages, Keynote and Numbers was the first apps I installed, and they are excellently suited for the device. The apps themselves take up very little screen real estate, allowing you, the use to concentrate on the task at hand. They are simple and intuitive to use, and well worth the money you pay for them.
I’ve been using Dropbox for a while now, and must admit that the Dropbox app is very neat indeed. I’d like to see better integration with the OS, and a sync capability for folders, but what there is is a lot better than nothing.
As a pen and paper role-player, I’ve found a couple of apps that are indispensable for the GM. The first is BattleMap, an app that let’s you design your dungeons and reveal them bit by bit to your players. A bit expensive, it’s a great resource. Another good one is an app called Tabletop Initiative Tracker, which is excellent for combat situations, and free to boot.
For keeping track of my todo-lists and action items, I use Sorted, that has a simple and intuitive layout. I also like to keep tabs on my investments, and since I have a bit of stock in Norwegian conglomerate Orkla, I have installed Bloomberg, Reuters and mTrader, all of which are good apps.
As a news junkie, I also use FlipBoard (which also serves to keep me up to date on Facebook and Twitter) and MobileRSS to keep track of my subscribed RSS feeds. To allow me to watch .avi-movies, I use a lovely little app called CineXPlayer. The last app for this post is the post I use to keep track of my WordPress blogs. The WordPress app is nifty and does the job excellently. -
The iPad reviewed
First off, I know I said I wasn’t going to get an iPad. That decision was based on the hype and buzz about it, after laying hands on one myself, though, I’ve got to say I was simply wrong. Probably not about my concerns, as I still feel they are valid, but about my decision not to get one.
What it all boils down to is this; do I think it is worth paying the cost, and accepting the limitations for what I get?
Quite obviously, my answer to that is yes. If it hadn’t been, you would not have been reading this, now would you? The question to answer, then, is not if, but why it is worth it to do so.
This post will be part rationalisation, part review, and I ask you to bear with me in that respect. Still, though, here goes…
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Controlling the version of Java installed
Every so often, I encounter computers that, among other things, have very specific prerequisites. For SAP CRM and Mobile Sales, more often than not, a specific version of Java should be installed. If it isn’t, problems ensue. Now, while you’ll always have the option of finding out what version is installed through the control panel, there is a much quicker way.
Simply open a command line, and enter the command, and the result will be displayed promptly. The command is:
java -version
Here’s the result:
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A hiatus
It’s been a while since I’ve posted with any regularity here, and it has a logical and simple explanation; life has caught up with me.
Inbetween planning a wedding, working full time and several volunteer projects, this blog has been put on the back burner.
Instead of promising a definite rate of posting to come, I’ll promise to post whenever I can, usually on mondays or thursdays.
I hope to get back to writing two or three posts per week, but that just isn’t realistic right now.
If you want to keep reading my posts, I suggest you start subscribing to my RSS feed, so that you’ll get a notice when I post.