Phil Stratton's Brain

How To Turn On Your PC With Your Android Phone Using Wake-On-LAN

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Tue, 31 May 2011 17:47:00 +0000

OK, here's a new geeky toy I'll need to try out.

This Android app, once configured correctly and once your PC is configured correctly, will wake up your PC when you come in range of your home WiFi network, by using the WoL capabilities built into the NIC of your computer. Cool stuff.

I'll let you know what happens after I test it. :)

How To Turn On Your PC With Your Android Phone Using Wake-On-LAN: "

If you’re a techie, one of the first things you do when you walk in the door is turn on your computer. Perhaps you simply tap your keyboard or mouse, or maybe you press the power button. Either way, you have to be at your computer before you can start it.

Wouldn’t it be easier if your computer was ready for you as soon as you sat down? If you own an Android device, that’s possible thanks to a free app called PC Auto Waker. The setup can be a little complex, but the payoff makes it worthwhile.

The Quick & Easy Setup

Once you’ve downloaded PC Auto Waker off the Android marketplace, you’ll need to set it up so that it has the ability to communicate with your computer. It depends on 802.11 WiFi, but it’s not necessary for each computer to have WiFi hardware. The PC you’d like to wake only needs to be connected to a broadcasting WiFi router.

The basic setup consists of three steps. First, you’ll need to enter a name for the computer you’re going to wake. This name DOES NOT have to be the same as the computer’s network name. This is merely a way of identifying the computer in the app’s interface.

After that, you’ll need to enter the MAC address of the target computer. Do a Windows Search for ”cmd” to open your command line interface, then type ipconfig/all and press enter. The MAC address will appear as a string of six two-digit numbers labeled Physical Address.

Finally, you need to enter the SSID of the wireless network the target computer is connected to. It’s not necessary to enter any security information, regardless of whether the WiFi network is secured or not.

Once you’ve handled all of that, it’s time to see if you’re set! Place your computer into sleep or hibernate mode, and press the Wake All button in the PC Auto Waker app. If it works, great! If not, you have a few other settings to mess with.

The Nitty-Gritty Setup

If your computer did not wake it’s probably because the computer is not set up to accept a Wake-On-LAN packet. Fortunately, most computers can be configured so that they will accept it.

First, restart your computer and enter BIOS. This is done by entering the correct key at boot, which should be indicated on the POST screen that appears before Windows beings loading. Once you’ve entered BIOS, look for the Wake-On-LAN setting and enable it. You’re likely to find this along with other settings related to power management or networking, but BIOS vary from computer to computer, so you’ll have to do some digging of your own.

Once you’ve enabled Wake-On-LAN in BIOS, you’ll need to make sure Windows is configured properly as well. Do a Windows Search for Device Manager and open it, then navigate down to Network Adapters. Right-click on the one you use to connect with the Internet and then click Properties. On the Power Management tab you will find three checkboxes. If they’re not already checked, do so.

This should clear up any trouble that’s causing PC Auto Waker to malfunction.

Conclusion

PC Auto Waker is an awesome app. Once you have it set up, your computer will start as soon as your phone makes a connection with your WiFi network. This means you can walk in the door knowing that your PC is already starting. It’s magic!

What do you think about it? Are there any similar Android wake on LAN apps that do a better job? If so, let us know about them in the comments.

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Another Memorial Day, Another History Channel Pawn Stars Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Mon, 30 May 2011 14:01:00 +0000

OK, what's the deal? I know the names of a lot of the cable channels are meaningless now. I mean really, when was the last time you saw a music video on MTV (which initially stood for MUSIC Television, back in the '80s), or actually LEARNED something USEFUL on TLC (The LEARNING channel)? It's all about ratings, I guess. But on a day like Memorial Day here in the US, why can't the History Channel actually show something, I don't know, based on HISTORY, and not a pawn shop?

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy Pawn Stars on occasion (like when my wife isn't home because she HATES it). But a Pawn Stars Marathon on Memorial Day? What happened to all that WWII newsreel footage, or WWII in Color, or even the show I watched yesterday on the Yellow Rectangle channel (National Geographic or NatGeo as they've taken to calling themselves) on all the undiscovered bunkers under Berlin?

Seriously? I don't want to see Chumlee or Hoss today. Honest.

Another Memorial Day, Another History Channel Pawn Stars Marathon: "

Sigh. Today is Memorial Day in the US and along with marking the start of summer here, it’s a national holiday in which citizens are supposed to remember U.S. Serviceman who died while serving our country. Often those celebrations involve picnics, family time, and, here in the great state of Michigan, “going up north.” While I’ll argue all day that those events are the proper way to remember fallen soldiers, it bugs me to no end that it’s the History Channel’s seemingly new tradition to run back-to-back reality shows today rather something a bit more on topic. They have the available library. The station was, after all, primarily dedicated to all things war and US history up until a couple years ago when the reality shows invaded.

I pointed this out last year with a good amount of rage. But here I am one year later writing on the same topic, and I still don’t think it’s too much to ask for Band of Brothers instead of Pawn Stars.

Apple laptops dominate Consumer Reports rankings

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Wed, 25 May 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Yet another interesting article, this one is from a place you probably wouldn't expect ME to frequent, being the avid PC user that I am.

Looks like the latest Consumer Reports ranks the 13", 15", and 17" MacBook Pro as the best laptops / notebooks on the market in their size categories.

Who knows. Maybe I'll finally become a switcher.

Apple laptops dominate Consumer Reports rankings: " Consumer Reports has published its latest laptop rankings, and Apple's MacBook Air and MacBook Pro dominate the list. AppleCare also dwarfs its tech support competition.

"

How to De-Crapify Your Home: A Start-to-Finish Guide [Clutter]

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Tue, 24 May 2011 18:59:00 +0000

Well, this is timely.

It's a little late in the year for "Spring Cleaning", but none the less, sometimes we just need to go through the house with a fine toothed comb. And once we've done that, we really should get rid of some of the junk that's been lying around. I mean, really, do I need some of the stuff I've been moving around with me for the past, oh, 25 years or so? Well, yes, some of it, but not all of it. There's my ever popular "I Love Me" wall art, including all my certificates, diplomas, citations (good ones, not parking violations), all those great memories from years passed. What about those? Well, those stay. But if my Grandmonster can go through his stuff and get rid of about 40% of his toys, maybe I should, too. I can follow his example for a change, right?

Maybe.

I mean, it took me about 20 years or more to get rid of the notes I got from my old high school girl friend. OK, I admit it. I have a problem with stuff. Who doesn't? Have you looked in YOUR garage lately? What about that "Junk drawer" you've got in the kitchen? Have you looked in there? I bet it's scary!

Sorry. I didn't mean to get all defensive, but, really, stuff is personal! I've got some great stuff, too. Like those, um, well, Hmmmmm.

Give me a few weeks. I'll decide to go through all my stuff and start de-crapifying my house.

Maybe.

How to De-Crapify Your Home: A Start-to-Finish Guide [Clutter]: "

While it's no epidemic, it's hard to argue that most of us have a little 'too much stuff'. Whether you've got a little or a lot more clutter than you'd like in your home, here's a start-to-finish look at how to streamline your Spring cleaning. More »

Blood turbine to power your pacemaker, become legendary band name

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Tue, 17 May 2011 13:18:00 +0000

This looks interesting, and promising at the same time. If they can resolve the concerns about clotting due to the agitation of the blood, or if they can get the magnetic generation working, this is the perfect solution for people with pacemakers, implanted defibrillator, neurostimulators, etc. Since I am or know someone with any of these three devices, there's great promise! I wouldn't have to spend 2 hours a week charging my battery! I can be like the Energizer Bunny and keep going, and going, and ...

Blood turbine to power your pacemaker, become legendary band name: "Why bother with risky battery-changing surgical operations when your own cardiovascular system can provide all the power your heart-shocking pacemaker will ever need? Engineers at Switzerland's University of Bern have been working on tiny turbines; turbines small enough, in fact, to fit inside a human artery. Working like a blood powered hydroelectric generator, a working prototype -- tested in a simulated artery -- has been able to produce 800 microwatts of electricity. That's roughly eighty times the power required to power the average pacemaker; such a device could provide independent, sustainable power to neurostimulators, blood-pressure sensors, and other implanted medical gizmos. Researchers are concerned, however, that a blood turbine's adding agitation of blood flow might lead to clotting, and are continuing to tweak and rework the design to minimize this risk. Similar, but unrelated cardiovascular power designs have attempted to alleviate the concern by doing away with the rotating, fluid powered components, opting to generate electricity by oscillating magnets by utilizing changes in blood pressure -- which sounds awesome, but still falls shy of 'blood turbine,' in the contest for most Metal medical device.

Blood turbine to power your pacemaker, become legendary band name originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 May 2011 08:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RE-35 cartridge does digital photos

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:29:00 +0000

I seem to remember a company trying to do this about 7 or 8 years ago with no success. The problem has to be the price point. Yeah, you have an old 35mm film camera, but are you willing to spend $200+ on something to make it a 4-megapixel camera when you have something better than that on your phone? Somehow, I doubt it. If the price is low enough, it will sell. But will there be enough profit margin for the company selling it to stay afloat? That's the issue, I'm sure. So we'll have to keep our eyes on this one, for those of you who have an old 35mm camera that you quite possibly invested a lot of money in, and just couldn't bring yourself to get rid of it.

RE-35 cartridge does digital photos: "

Shooting with film isn’t probably an experience that most teens have these days – after all, theirs is the generation that grew up with cameras embedded within their phones, not to mention parents buying cheap digital cameras to get them started before moving on to more expensive DSLRs. If you want to relive the good old days with modern technology, then the RE-35 cartridge is your cup of tea. Representing a regular roll of film, inside the can lies a pull out image sensor which can be stretched across the opening where the film normally sits to be exposed. Available in 4-, 8-, and 12-megapixel versions, you will be able to pick from a resolution of your choice. Once you’ve finished capturing all the images it can possibly hold, just transfer it over to a computer via USB – which will also juice up the cartridge’s battery simultaneously. No idea on pricing, but the RE-35 cartridge is tipped for a release later this year.

RE-35 cartridge does digital photos, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : iPad 2 Review, Atrix Review,

Study: Too Much Technology Has Destroyed Our Ability To Sleep

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:24:00 +0000

What? Technology is bad for your ability to sleep? Say it ain't so!

I'd love to be able to blame my sleep apnea on technology, but technology is what makes it so I CAN sleep! But I understand where they're coming from here. The bright lights from backlit LCD screens can mess with your body clock, making you think it's daytime, not night time, so you wake up.

I do have to argue with one point here, though; the bedroom isn't ONLY for sleeping. (where else would you hide from the kids, right?)

Study: Too Much Technology Has Destroyed Our Ability To Sleep: "

It would appear that our increased reliance on technology has destroyed our ability to have a good night’s sleep. So says the 2011 Sleep in America poll, which was conducted by the the National Sleep Foundation. Something tells me they would be the guys to go to for all your sleep data needs. The study shows that 95 percent of Americans use a communication device (computer, phone, etc.) in the hour before bedtime, which absolutely wrecks your body’s clock, as it were, thereby preventing you from having a decent night’s sleep.

The study’s primary conclusion is that Americans don’t get enough sleep overall, and that the sleep they do get is largely rubbish. Waking up several times throughout the night, waking up too early, snoring like a truck, etc.

As Ric Flair once asked, what’s causing all this? Blame technology. As mentioned, fully 95 percent of Americans use a communications device in the hour before going to bed. That’s a critical hour, too, since ideally you’d be winding down before going to bed. Texting your friends, trolling Facebook, reading Charlie Sheen tweets, etc. All of this mental stimulation essentially keeps your brain awake, and prevents the release of a certain hormone that tells your body, “Hey it’s time to go to bed. Get tired.”

Watching Netflix on your iPad may be handy, but it’s not necessarily healthy.

What should you do? If you can, make sure your bedroom is only for sleep. Don’t have an entertainment system in there, and don’t play Angry Birds while in bed. Only go to your bedroom to sleep. And in the hour before going to bed, try to wind down. Turn off the TV, turn down the lights, maybe at most do some light reading (these books would be a great start).

Failing that, you’ll have to put up with rubbish sleep, and not a lot of it.

Only 0.3% of the Earth’s Inhabitants Own A Tablet

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 13:14:00 +0000

It's always fun to be part of an elite crowd. Sometimes it's not good to be on the bleeding edge of technology, though. I would say I have moved away from the bleeding edge (where I was last year when I got my Augen Gentouch 78) to simply leading edge with my Samsung Galaxy Tab from Verizon Wireless.

Get yourself a tablet; join the elites. There's lots of room for growth!

Only 0.3% of the Earth’s Inhabitants Own A Tablet: "

With the overwhelming amount of Tablets announced mid to late 2010 up until now, one would think that there would be quite an amount of them circulating the globe. However, an inductive study by Mike Abramsky, an RBC analyst, shows that the market for tablet ownership is still quite large and promising. According to the chart, 99.7% of people in the world still do not own a tablet of any kind, as of the end of 2010. What the heck is that about? And how in the world do we get an Android tablet in the hands of these 99.7% unaware and depraved individuals? We’ll be working on that one folks.

Abramsky’s chart points to a small smartphone and tablet user base of 394 million worldwide as opposed to other markets like TV subscription, total PC’s and mobile subscribers

According to the Business Insider:

Abramsky predicts more than 400 million tablet users worldwide by 2014, including 185 million tablets sold in 2014. But he thinks Google Android, not Apple, will come to lead the market, representing 40% of the 2014 tablet market, versus 34% for Apple, 13% for Microsoft, 8% for BlackBerry, and 5% for HP WebOS

Until we can find a way to resolve this horrific issue, if you know of anyone who is not rocking an Android tablet of some sort, be sure to point them in the direction of Talk Android, where we’ll do our best to persuade them as to why they ‘need” the functionality of one. Are you content with just a smartphone? Or should one compliment their smartphone with a tablet? We’ll let you be the judge of that. Let us know what your thoughts are in the comments below.

Visit TalkAndroid for android news, android guides, and much more!

Only 0.3% of the Earth’s Inhabitants Own A Tablet

They Weren’t Kidding When They Named it Xoom!

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:46:00 +0000

Well, on the TV show "Dinosaurs", Mr. Lizard always had problems keeping assistants, and was known to regularly say "I think we're going to need another Timmy!". Well that applies to smart phone benchmarks now. Mr. Lizard seems to have gotten his claws on a Motorola Xoom, and totally blew away all the benchmarks by 2 times! If benchmarks are named Timmy, we're going to need another one!

They Weren’t Kidding When They Named it Xoom!: "

Image Credit: XDA Developers Forum

Let the image above sink in some. If you don't yet own a Xoom (like me), then you can begin to be envious of the sheer power that owners of the latest Android device have in their grubby little hands. The folks over at Boy Genius Report found the above screenshot and the news that a dev in the community has successfully overclocked the Xoom to 1.5 GHz. Which, as you can see, blows away the current smartphone benchmarks we have right now.

A quote from the article:

XDA forum member coolbho300 has managed to tweak the XOOM’s kernel to get both Cortex-A9 cores running at a benchmark-shredding 1.5GHz. ”I have successfully brought the Tegra 2 in the XOOM to 1.5GHz,” writes coolbho300 in a forum post. “A few kernel modifications make the dual core chip in the XOOM even more powerful than the recently announced Tegra 2 3D. 1.5GHz through two Cortex A9 cores is truly a force to be reckoned with.'

I can feel the wind as the current Xoom owners are herding over to the XDA Forums to try the process out, just one note of caution as you do, be careful with your new toy!

They Weren’t Kidding When They Named it Xoom! originally appeared on AndroidGuys.

Random Posts

Retro iPhone case brings you back in time

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:41:00 +0000

One of these days, when I get what I think is a great idea, I'm not going to sit on it and wait; I'm going to act. I don't think I can count on one hand how many times I've turned to my wife and said "I know! What do you think about ..." and then I don't do anything about it. A few months later, someone comes to market with it.

Now, I'm not saying this will sell like hotcakes, but for $21 each, I bet there are enough jokers out there with iPhone 4s who will buy this to at least let the "inventor" break even.

Darn, it's not me because I was asleep at the switch. Again.

Remember Geeks-on-call? Yeah, I thought of that about 6 months before I heard them on TV, too.

Retro iPhone case brings you back in time: "

Next time you want to be the center of attention of a party, you don’t have to whip out the latest Optimus 3D or Nintendo 3DS – just show off your iPhone 4. Wait, doesn’t everybody already have one now? They might, but we’re pretty sure they don’t have an iPhone 4 that looks like a cellphone that came straight out of the 1980s. The folks over at iwantoneofthose.com are selling the 80s Retro iPhone Case that’s bound to turn some heads the next time you show it off at a party – something that’s not hard to do, since this case won’t let your iPhone 4 fit into but the baggiest of jeans. Besides encasing your iPhone 4 in a protective shell, it’ll probably ward off thieves looking for a phone to steal, though you can easily use it as a weapon if such a situation arises. The 80s Retro iPhone case is on sale for $21 here.

Retro iPhone case brings you back in time, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : LG Optimus 2X Review, Nexus S Review,

Google Tracks Helps Man Get Out of a Speeding Ticket

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:13:00 +0000

Well, this is a very creative use of an Android smart phone. I think I'm going to get this app and try it out, just to see what I end up with, data wise. I'm sure it will show how badly I speed when I'm driving home, and how slow traffic is on the way in to work.

Take a look at the article (follow the link). Even though the judge didn't throw out the case based on the GPS data, but on the cop's lack of evidence, it's always good to have information on your side in your hip pocket, just in case!

Google Tracks Helps Man Get Out of a Speeding Ticket: "

Our friends over at Skatter Tech have posted a very interesting story today: how an Android smartphone helped get one of their writers out of a speeding ticket. With a combination of GPS, Google Tracks, and a lack of evidence on part of the police officer who wrote the ticket up, they are now able to say that their smartphone helped them “beat” the legal system. It’s quite the interesting read, so go ahead and check it out over there.

GoGo Inflight Internet and Ford Team Up To Bring Complimentary Facebook Access On Airtran Flights

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:47:00 +0000

This is an interesting development.

I've used GoGo Inflight Internet. It's not too bad. The connection drops on occasion, but hey, it's satellite, right? But you can surf while you fly, and post stuff on Facebook. And chat on Facebook, and . . . wait. Facebook access for free?

I'll do that in a heart beat, even WITH ads!

Sign me up! Oh, wait. I'm already signed up with GoGo. You need an account to use it.

GoGo Inflight Internet and Ford Team Up To Bring Complimentary Facebook Access On Airtran Flights: "

Flick’d

GoGo Inflight Internet is amazing, but it’s sort of costly and not something the casual traveler would use. But what if you could access just Facebook? For Free? Yeah, that’s what GoGo and Ford are bringing to all Airtran flights this month.

All passengers need to do is open up a web browser and click on the Ford/Facebook banner for access. No doubt there will be additional ads and general silliness involved, but second to live TV, Facebook is probably the best airplane time sink. GoGo no doubts hopes giving a bit of free bandwidth away will result in more subscribers and Ford, well, they want you to buy their cars. You’re obviously not required to do either. Steal all the bandwidth you want. [Facebook via MobileTechReview]

27% of Americans use Facebook in the bathroom

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 13:34:00 +0000

OK, here's some information that I really didn't need to know, but somehow it isn't totally unexpected. Actually, I'm surprised it's so low!

One of my pet peeves (well, it's just a peeve really, I don't play favorites) is people on the phone in a public bathroom. At least once a week I go into the mens room at work and hear someone talking on the phone. OK, given, we're not allowed to use a cell phone in the office because of the security aspects and all, but still, there's a lobby for goodness sake!

When I hear someone using their cell phone in the mens room, I try to be as loud as I possibly can so that the person on the other end of their phone call can know they're talking to someone who is in the mens room.

I was taught as a child that some things should never be done: don't talk while you're eating, don't pick your nose in public, don't spit into the wind (ok, that was from a song, but whatever), and what goes on in the bathroom is supposed to be private. But I guess Facebook has taken the place of the newspaper or the novel. And of course there's ebook readers. Are those waterproof? Keep your grip people.

27% of Americans use Facebook in the bathroom: "

According to a study done by an Atlanta-based media firm – 27% of Americans use Facebook in the bathroom. Shocking? No, not really. Ever since we’ve had cellphones and things to do on them, people have been finding other things to look at besides magazines while sitting on the porcelain throne. Some people read comics, some people write, some people talk on the phone, and some people go on Facebook. Taking into consideration how almost everyone has a data plan or a WiFi connection at home, surfing the internet while on the potty isn’t exactly a foreign activity, I don’t see how Facebooking in the same situation would be any different. And as long as you keep your devices clean and don’t drop them in the toilet, using Facebook while in the toilet shouldn’t be a problem. You can snicker to yourself each time a friend borrows your phone to make a call or play with. What do you think about using Facebook in the toilet? Unacceptable behavior, or do you do it too? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below.

27% of Americans use Facebook in the bathroom, By Ubergizmo, 20 Jan 2011. Top Stories : BlackBerry Torch Review, MacBook Air Review,

What’s new, Verizon Wireless?

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 16:10:00 +0000

Well, welcome to another Saturday morning, the weekend before the MLK day holiday.

All in all, last week was a slow week, and a reasonably slow week in technology news. There was the big Verizon Wireless announcement about the CDMA iPhone that should be available next month. There’s no significant difference between the AT&T and the Verizon iPhone except the network, and the fact that the Verizon iPhone can’t do both voice and data at the same time (a limitation of CDMA, not specifically Verizon). Well, that and using it as a mobile hotspot.

I did see a few good articles on-line about the Verizon iPhone, but the general recommendation is, if you’re a Verizon customer, wait until the iPhone 5 comes out in June or July, because that one could be using the LTE network. If you’re an AT&T customer and you don’t get good coverage where you are, you should do what a reported 26% of existing iPhone users will do, and switch to Verizon.

One thing I want to look at today is the Samsung Galaxy Tab from Verizon. I got a call last night from a coworker and friend who told me that it would save me money in the long run over my MiFi card, and do texting, GPS, WiFi B,G, and N, 3G, streaming video, all running Android 2.2, so it has Flash 10.1 capabilities, too. It looks like an awesome combination, and can take the place of my Augen GenTouch as well as the MiFi. It could be an exciting mix. I’m hoping to get some time with one today and chat with a Verizon Wireless person about it and see what happens.

I have a business trip coming up next week to San Antonio, Texas. I’ll be flying out on Tuesday, which happens to be the 23rd anniversary of my 25th birthday. The last time I flew to San Antonio on that date was 26 years ago, and that wasn’t my favorite trip (that’s when I enlisted in the Air Force), so hopefully this trip will be a little bit more upbeat!

So, with the trip this week, I’ll be doing a little bit of blogging throughout the week. Saturday will be left for recuperation. Hopefully I’ll be able to get it posted with no issues on Saturday next week. Short post this week, like I said, I didn’t see much happen in tech news. Have a great week.

Welcome to 2011, Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:49:00 +0000

Well, here I am again, listening to ‘70s music from Slacker.com and charging my back stimulator, so it must be time for me to write something. Last week I talked about my medical issues and the resolutions (hopefully) for them. This week, let’s look at some of the new technology I played with last year.

I’ll start with some of the networking toys I picked up last year.

The first networking toy I picked up last year was because I moved my office from it’s own room into the master bedroom (yes, I know, all you psychology and family counseling folks out there are thinking this is a bad idea). The big problem with moving the office to the master bedroom is that there is no network jack in that room. Since I have so many desktop and server type computers in my office, hard-wire networking is important. After some research, I found the Belkin Gigabit Powerline HD Starter Kit at Best Buy. First off, the name is somewhat misleading. So, what does this do? Well, this kit contains two devices that you plug into power outlets. These devices have network jacks (RJ-45) on the bottom, which you connect with normal CAT-5 cable into your network and the remote device you need to connect to your network. They act as a bridge between the two connections, using your copper power lines in the walls of your house to transmit the data. Cool idea. However, the name of the device is somewhat misleading. While in theory you can transmit data at 1000Kbps across the power lines, that is only in PERFECT conditions, and probably won’t happen for you. On average, I think I’m getting about 300Kbps, which is very nice, and according to everything I’ve seen, it’s probably the best out there, at least when I got it. One issue is that it has problems transmitting across your circuit breakers in the breaker box, so it’s best to try to keep them on the same circuit, if possible. But I do recommend it.

Next is the Linksys E2000 Advanced Wireless-N Router. Linksys got bought out by Cisco last year, so the router now has a Cisco label on it, but it’s still the same Linksys box and web interface that you’re used to if you had one before. I got this because I decided I wanted to upgrade as much of my home network to Gigabit networking as I could, plus, I don’t have a Wireless-N router in the house, so that will speed up lots of connections. All 6 RJ-45 ports on this router are 10/100/1000 capable, including the WAN port on the back that connects to your cable modem or whatever, so if you have fiber or something like that, or a cable modem that will go 50MBps, this is the type of router you need to use that speed best. It also has built in quality of service capabilities that are user (administrator) adjustable, so if you are a gamer, you can make sure that the gaming information goes out to the world faster than other information. The problem is, I haven’t connected it to my home network yet. There will be a major redesign of the network configuration when I install it (there doesn’t have to be, I just want to), so it’s not up and running. But with my experience with it so far (I set it up and updated the firmware on it), I like it, and would recommend it.

Moving on to gadgets, one of the gadgets I picked up this year that I really like (contrary to what the press has said about it) is the Augen Gentouch 78. This is a 7” screen, Android operating system based tablet that was sold in K-Mart of all places, for about a week. After that time, Augen was sent a cease and desist order from Google, because they didn’t get their authority to use the entire Android OS correctly (note to self, make sure to have a lawyer look at EVERYTHING before releasing ANYTHING), so they instantly became a hot item on E-bay and other places. I got mine from a friend at work, who may be, admittedly, a bigger geek than I am. Anyway, after getting the Augen, I had to hack the operating system to have total control over it (called rooting). Then I could install some of the applications I wanted. The Augen specs aren’t that bad, really, considering it sold for $150. It has an all-around cheap feel to it, a resistive screen (you have to press on it), only 800x480 resolution, and no 3G capabilities, GPS, or motion sensing anything, or access to Google’s marketplace (legitimately). But it does have WiFi, a headphone jack, a micro-SD slot that will take up to 16GB, and Android 2.1. I use it mainly for an e-book reader / e-Bible. I’m sure I get some funny looks at church when I whip this thing out of my messenger bag (“It’s a European shoulder bag”) when they say to turn to a particular scripture, but who cares, right? I’m a geek and everyone knows it.

The last gadget I’ll write about today is my phone. I wrote about my Droid when I first got it back in March (thanks, Len!), but I’ve since passed that to my better half and upgraded to the Droid2. The Droid2 has a few major upgrades over the Droid. The most noticeable one for me was the change in the keyboard. The keyboard is much easier to use, and instead of the D-pad type directional device to move around on the screen, the Droid2 has four arrow keys, like a normal keyboard. I find that much more intuitive. The next thing I noticed was that it has Wireless-N capabilities, which is MUCH faster than VerizonWireless’ 3G service. It also has a much faster processor, and more internal memory, both for storage and processing, so you can do more, and faster. The phone is the same as the initial Droid in size and almost the same shape (just enough different so you need to buy a new car mount). I use my phone for music in the car when I drive, GPS when I need to find where I’m going, and I actually use it to talk to people on occasion! E-mail, web browsing, texting, instant messaging, FaceBook, pretty much you name it. My phone is my mini-mobile computer when I’m not at home.

So that’s all the gadgets I’m going to write about today. After my post last week, I got a call from my youngest daughter, who told me that I forgot to write about something that was very important last year (even though I told her last week was all about my back and this week was about gadgets), and that was the birth of my granddaughter. She was born on March 29th, 2010, 9 weeks premature. Her mom was having Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) problems, so the doctors delivered her by emergency caesarian section early in the morning of the 29th. Over the past several months, mother and baby have progressed nicely, with a few ups and downs along the way. She’s now eating baby food, she has some teeth, and loves to talk to grammy and grampy on Skype.

Enough for this week. I’m not sure what next week will be about, but hopefully I can keep this up. Since I need to sit and charge anyway, why not do something productive?

Welcome to 2011, Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:08:00 +0000

I’ll start with some of the networking toys I picked up last year.

Enough for this week. I’m not sure what next week will be about, but hopefully I can keep this up. Since I need to sit and charge anyway, why not do something productive?

Verizon iPhone: everything you need to know

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 12:29:00 +0000

Welcome back to rumor central again. Here's another article about the Verizon iPhone that actually takes all the pieces that have been out there, all the "evidence", so to speak, and ties it all together. The case is very strong for the release of information on the iPhone on Verizon this coming Thursday, with availability in February. But, read the article. You may want to wait until summer before you jump on this.

Verizon iPhone: everything you need to know: "

Ah, the Verizon iPhone. In our bizarre careers as tech journalists, if there's one question we've heard more than 'When is Verizon getting the iPhone?' we can't think of it. Also, outside the original rumors for the iPhone and iPad, we can't think of another product so heavily teased by those in the know and those not in the know -- though mostly by those not in the know.

But then we heard Verizon is having a little get together on Tuesday, which is particularly odd timing because Verizon has a huge presence and a large amount of announcements at this year's CES. Rumors of the event being a Verizon iPhone announce immediately flared up, but there were still reservations: Apple usually announces its own products at its own corporate campus -- why would Verizon be doing the honors in NY?

That's when the Wall Street Journal swooped in with a confirmation: the Verizon iPhone will be announced on Tuesday, and WSJ's All Things D even thinks Steve Jobs will be there. So, who is this fly-by-night 'Wall Street Journal' publication we speak of? They have one of the best track track records on Apple rumors in the business, and they've been leading the Verizon iPhone predictions from day one. Follow after the break as we talk it out.

Continue reading Verizon iPhone: everything you need to know

Verizon iPhone: everything you need to know originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 22:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wall Street Journal: Verizon to announce iPhone on Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 22:54:00 +0000

Well, here we are at rumor central again. Looks like the Wall Street Journal has picked up on the rumor, and has "a source familiar with the matter". The announcement should come next thursday.

Wall Street Journal: Verizon to announce iPhone on Tuesday: "

Well, here we are: the Wall Street Journal says Verizon will indeed announce the iPhone at its mysterious Tuesday event, according to 'a source familiar with the matter.'

Wall Street Journal: Verizon to announce iPhone on Tuesday originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 17:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon iPhone launch on February 3rd?

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:22:00 +0000

Greetings, and welcome to rumor central! Here's a juicy tidbit of info, if you're an iPhone lover but an AT&T hater. Rumor has it the Verizon iPhone will be released between February 3rd and 6th. Again, that's a rumor with a capital R and a capital UMOR, too. But it does follow the known patterns of both Apple and Verizon release schedules.

Interesting. Will it happen? Or is this like predicting the end of the world?

Verizon iPhone launch on February 3rd?: "

Speculation is going around that the Verizon iPhone announcement is almost here. Whispers are that Apple has blocked employee vacation requests between February 3^rd and February 6^th, which is Thursday through Sunday. The vacation freeze has been confirmed to be in effect in several regions in the US. It’s worth noting that Apple picked the dates of the 24^th to 27^th for the launch of its iPhone 4, also Thursday through Sunday, not to mention that Verizon tends to launch new devices on Thursdays too. Of course, there isn’t any confirmation that the Verizon iPhone is the device that will be announced, but the rumors definitely do seem to point in that direction.

Verizon iPhone launch on February 3rd?, By Ubergizmo, 07 Jan 2011. Top Stories : NVIDIA Tegra 2 Overview, Toshiba Android Tablet, Hands-On, Olympus XZ1 With OLED Screen,

Droid Bionic Hands-On [VIDEO]

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:24:00 +0000

I don't think I can say this enough, I wish I were in Vegas right now for CES.

Looks like the Bionic specs I looked at and posted yesterday were off in one area, it has 16GB built-in RAM, so that's an extra level of awesomeness. Estimated release on Verizon, early Q2 (April-ish).

Droid Bionic Hands-On [VIDEO]: "

The Droid Franchise has a new title: the Motorola Droid Bionic, of course, for Verizon Wireless. Announced last night at Motorola’s CES 2011 Press Event, we were able to get a hands-on demonstration walking us through the main hardware features of the phone as well as some great software inclusions.

One of my FAVORITE features of this phone is the HDMI mirroring. With many Android phones including HDMI Out, they won’t mirror whatever is on your screen, they’ll only allow you to connect for the purposes of playing locally stored video files or picture files or items in your media gallery. The Droid Bionic allows you to play games, browse the web, and do whatever you want to LOCALLY, showing the exact same thing through HDMI.

Of course the Droid Bionic’s 4G LTE connection on Verizon’s network is one of the main highlights of this phone and it will surely magentize a good share of big red customers. Some of its other key features include an 8MP camera, 1080p HDMI, 720p HD video recording, and a dual core processor each running at 1GHz.

While only the Motorola Atrix was showing off the nifty docking to laptop/desktop screen feature, we’re hopeful Motorola will empower this for all their phones, and really, there is no reason NOT to.

Motorola Droid Bionic announced for Verizon

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:45:00 +0000

Oh, to be in Las Vegas right now. CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, it geek heaven right now.

Well, we knew it was coming, and here it is, Motorola's new Android based handset for LTE on Verizon Wireless. LTE is Verizon's 4th generation or 4G wireless technology. And this baby looks amazing. Compared to the Droid2 I have, it has 2x the processing power, less RAM, a front facing camera (now why would it have one of those? Can you say SKYPE?), and an 8Mp camera on the back. The one thing it's missing that I use every day? The QWERTY keyboard. Well, you can't have everything, now, can you? How about Internet and phone at the same time?

Motorola Droid Bionic announced for Verizon: "

Things are getting real with Motorola -- it's just announced the LTE-equipped Droid Bionic which, like the Xoom tablet introduced alongside it, will be headed to Verizon. The phone packs a dual-core processor with each core humming along at 1GHz, a 4.3-inch QHD screen, 512MB of RAM, a front-facing VGA camera, and an 8-megapixel on the rear.

Developing...

Gallery: Motorola Droid Bionic official press pics

Continue reading Motorola Droid Bionic announced for Verizon

Motorola Droid Bionic announced for Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 19:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to 2011, Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 15:26:00 +0000

Well, it’s Saturday morning for me, 1/1/11. 2010 was an exciting and eventful year, with many ups and downs. I’ll go over a few of the personal highlights and lowlights from last year.

First, the major player in my life for 2010, my chronic back pain. It’s hard for me to even explain what it’s like to know that you have a chronic condition, that is, something that you’ll never completely recover from. First, into the way-back machine. On Father’s Day 2008 I herniated the disc at L5-S1 in my back (thanks Erin! Just kidding). After a microdiscectomy to remove the bulge, I did physical therapy until November. I was progressing well. Christmas and New Years went well, and I was improving into 2009. Then in February I was walking to meet a friend for lunch and slipped on something (it may have been ice, it may have been too much salt on the little handicap ramp for the sidewalk) and landed sitting down. I knew something was wrong, but I was going to lunch anyway. Well, to top it off, I was stood up for lunch, too. The pain increased slowly, and after a week or so I had another MRI to discover I had reherniated L5-S1 and also herniated L4-L5 on top of it.

Begin more than a year of pain management treatments, ranging from trigger point injections to radio frequency nerve ablation, physical therapy, medications, and attempts at exercise.

Fast forward to around June of 2010 (yes, I’m finally into 2010. Be quiet and listen. You knew I’d get there). After the pain management doctor was disapproved by my insurance for Botox treatments on my back, he did get approval for a neurostimulator test. Make sure you follow the link.

After the successful test, I had surgery on September 23rd, with one night stay in the hospital (they didn’t want to send me home with heavy drugs while using a CPAP to sleep. Not a good combination). That and I wasn’t really ready to go home. After about a week or so of recovering and working from home, I started going back to work. Probably too soon. The recovery and healing process took much longer than I would have liked. The paddle of the neurostimulator between my shoulder blades was irritating the spinal column at that location, causing “Phantom pain” that felt like I’d broken a rib, and there was nothing I could do about it but take more meds. Not the result I wanted.

In early December I went in for a “Tune up” of my neurostimulator. The technician adjusted the power output levels of the electrodes. Since the scar tissue had started to develop, the level of pain control had decreased. I guess the decrease was significant, because she increased the levels by 4! The result was amazing. We took our oldest and grandmonster to Ohio for that weekend to visit his other grandparents while we stayed in a hotel. It was a cute little town, and we got the chance to walk around (!), relax, and just take in small town life again. We found an antique shop that had a cane with a brass horse head as the handle, so I got that, along with some Christmas presents. I’m sure we spent too much money in that little town, but we had fun. And even though there was a storm coming, I made it through the entire weekend with little pain!

One of the issues with having an implanted neurostimulator is that you need to remember to recharge your battery every week. I was told that if the battery ever drains completely, it will need to be replaced (I hope that’s not true). Anyway, I’ve set 9:00 AM on Saturdays as my time to charge up, so maybe I can remember to do some blogging during that time.

How does the neurostimulator work? Glad you asked. It’s basically a pacemaker for my back. The electrodes are placed over the nerve bundles around T7,T8 and T9 in my back (the neurosurgeon had to do a partial laminectomy to put it in place), with the power pack and controller implanted below the belt line in my butt. I can change the power levels and programming (I have three programs I can use) with a hand held controller that communicates through electromagnetic induction to the implanted controller. Charging works the same way; I have a battery pack that I charge from standard 110v current. When it’s fully charged (it can recharge the implant a few times on 1 charge) I can connect the “antenna” to it and use electromagnetic induction and inductive coupling to transfer the power from the external battery to the internal battery. I’m doing that right now. So far it’s been about an hour; my Christmas recharge took an hour and 45 minutes, so I’ve got some time left. It comes with a belt so I can walk around if I want to, but I don’t mind being forced to stay in a chair for 2 hours or so. It’s a good excuse.

My hope is that since I’m forced to stay in one place for so long, maybe I’ll remember to post something here every week (but don’t hold your breath, ok?).

So, now I’m officially one of the Borg. On Twitter, I’ve jokingly called myself 13 of 12, because the Borg don’t like me very much. I may have a few more “Tune-ups” in my future, depending on the build-up of scar tissue under the electrodes. We’ll see what happens. I’m also beginning the arduous process of weaning off the Neurontin, which is the primary nerve pain medication I’ve been on. Looking at the list of possible side-effects, sometimes I wonder which is worse, the pain or the medication. I’d have to say, it was the pain. Hopefully I can be off most of it by the end of February.

One of the biggest (pun intended) side-effects I’ve been dealing with is weight gain. From Father’s Day 2008 to October 2008 I put on 50 pounds. My weight hasn’t changed significantly since then. My goal for this year is to drop one pound a week for the year. That will get me down to around where I was when I retired from the Air Force six years ago, and hopefully a much more healthy weight.

Next week, I’ll take a look back at the technology I acquired in 2010.

Happy New Year!

Thunderbolt Might Blow Your Pants Off [GOS]

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 11:24:00 +0000

For those of you who don't know, the Thunderbolt is the new HTC phone for Verizon Wireless, their first LTE 4G phone. It's not supposed to be released until the Consumer Electronics Show next month, but this article has a link to a German website with supposed specs on the phone. If these specs are for real, this is my next phone, keyboard or not (I love my Droid2 keyboard!). However, the GOS acronym stands for grain of salt. Now we'll wait until CES to find out what the REAL specs are.

Nothing left to do but wait.

Thunderbolt Might Blow Your Pants Off [GOS]: "

This is from the so-crazy-it-just-might-be-awesome department. I received an email from a tipster who told me to “eat this” and prompted me to a German website playing host to what is allegedly the specifications to the upcoming HTC Thunderbolt.

You can click to embiggen.

The specs are beyond whack crazy, but even if some of them are true then forget the Optimus 2X. All specs listed in the picture are subject to change if mein Deutsch sucks.

4.3″ screen
Dual-Core 1.2GHz processor
Gingerbeard
8MP Camera w/2 LED flash
5MP front camera
16GB internal storage
1800 mAh battery

Is it January sixth yet?

[via bestboyz.de | Thanks, Robert! It tastes delicious.]

Yeah, I don’t believe a damn word of this. But weirder things have happened.

From here on out, GOS means Grain of Salt.

A Dozen Thunderbolt 4G Pictures Leak Out

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:08:00 +0000

Well, I've had my Droid2 for a while now, and I'm liking it just fine, but I was at the Verizon Wireless store getting my better half a Christmas present (media dock so she can try to remember to charge it every night) and they told me I still had an upgrade option on MY phone. I thought for a second. My phone? I just upgr-. . . Oh, that's right. I used a different upgrade option to do my phone, and then gave my old Droid to my better half! Hand-me-down phone, but still a good phone. So, I'm thinking about 4G LTE. Since I live in the "DC Metro Area", we have 4G LTE here, but my house is about 1/4 mile outside the coverage map that Verizon Wireless has on their website. But I've been told that if you're in 4G mode, you can talk on the phone AND use data at the same time, a big breakthrough for Verizon. Now, don't quote me on that, because I haven't heard it from the Verizon guys yet. We'll see what happens.

Anyway, here's some pics of Verizon's first 4G LTE phone.

A Dozen Thunderbolt 4G Pictures Leak Out: "

Well, it was only a matter of time. With just about one week to go before Verizon officially unveils their big 4G handset, the odds of a leaked picture were just about certain. The guys at Droid Life have happened upon one dozen images of HTC's third 4G 'first' and it's a beauty. It's also pretty much everything we'd been expecting over the last five months.

Take a look at the mini gallery below and you'll see more than passing resemblances to the EVO 4G. That's just fine with us, though, as it's one of our favorite phones from this past year. The Thunderbolt 4G looks like a slightly evolved version of the Sprint device, with a sexed up, smoother design.

htc-thunderbolt_01 src="http://www.androidguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/htc-thunderbolt_01-200x200.jpg" width=200>
htc-thunderbolt_02 src="http://www.androidguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/htc-thunderbolt_02-200x200.jpg" width=200>
htc-thunderbolt_03 src="http://www.androidguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/htc-thunderbolt_03-200x200.jpg" width=200>
htc-thunderbolt_04 src="http://www.androidguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/htc-thunderbolt_04-200x200.jpg" width=200>
htc-thunderbolt_05 src="http://www.androidguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/htc-thunderbolt_05-200x200.jpg" width=200>

It's worth pointing out that the kickstand is considerably thicker this time around, working in both portrait or landscape mode. We can clearly see what appears to be some type of speaker on the back, below said kickstand. Oh, and that 'With Google' makes us feel real warm and fuzzy. Should be nary a hint of Bing on the Thunderbolt 4G. That is, unless you want to download it yourself.

We'll be in Las Vegas next week when Verizon drops this one on us and fills in the spec details. Anyone expecting a surprise out of this one still?

Be sure to head to Droid Life to see the other pictures!

A Dozen Thunderbolt 4G Pictures Leak Out originally appeared on AndroidGuys.

What to do when your BlackBerry gets wet?

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Stratton) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:27:00 +0000

Have you ever accidently dunked you BlackBerry? Did you wonder what you should do next? Can you save it?

Take a peek.

What to do when your BlackBerry gets wet?: "

Have you ever (or a friend) dropped their BlackBerry in the toilet or water before and don’t know what to do? (Most of the time people drop their phone in the toilet) And then the first thing you do is try to turn it back on to see if it is still work. But its NOT! So what do you do? Maybe it’s time to switch to an iPhone? But you only got your BlackBerry a few months ago…

Well first of all, you do not need to go get yourself an iPhone. Second of all, you can probably retreive your phone if you follow the suggestions in this article.

It probably won’t be a good idea to try to turn your phone back on when it is soaking wet, cause you’ll probably end up blowing something up. So the best thing to do is dry the phone first and then draw out all the moisture in the device. There are several ways you can do, put the phone in:

a ziplock bag of uncooked rice and let it sit for a few hours

a bag with some silica packets

an oven with just the oven light on for a few days

a bag of clay-based absorbent

the sun

or you can blow dry it for a couple hours, while panting and worrying about your phone and hope it’ll be fine.

But if your phone happens to fall in salt water, you will need to rinse the phone out with distilled/deionized water first in order to remove the salt. You shouldn’t rinse with tap water because the minerals/ions are conductive and will remain there after the water dries, which may cause a short circuit later on.

So no need to take out another few hundred bucks to get another BlackBerry and definitely don’t need to switch to an iPhone, follow these steps and your phone will be running as new!

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Welcome to 2011, Part II

Welcome to 2011, Part II

Verizon iPhone: everything you need to know

Wall Street Journal: Verizon to announce iPhone on Tuesday

Verizon iPhone launch on February 3rd?

Droid Bionic Hands-On [VIDEO]

Motorola Droid Bionic announced for Verizon

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A Dozen Thunderbolt 4G Pictures Leak Out

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