Bograma » Internet

A week without my BlackBerry Bold 9700

Bograma — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:43:44 +0000

Inspired by a search I did out of nowhere, I decided I wanna try to live without my BlackBerry Bold for a week and…use my T-Mo Pulse Android OS instead! I will continue to use the BlackBerry to receive my work phone calls but that should be it. I’ll also use it to send/reply to some of my work emails but will try to do so as little as possible.

I know there are some disadvantages:

the lack of physical keyboard will slow me down when writing.
the lack of work emails will be a definitive minus as I can’t find a good Exchange client; should be free, like the one I use in the BlackBerry.
the battery life which is horrible in Android devices, on the Pulse included.

There are also advantages:

the Pulse’ so much better for multimedia.
the touchscreen is better for “on-the-fly usage” especially on apps not requiring data input.
a LOT of applications to use and get accustomed with in a short period of time.

I just don’t know if i should update the blog regarding the way the things are going daily, or to write a single post after a week. What do you think?

How To: Back-Up Your Data From Your Blackberry

Bograma — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:04:29 +0000

Most of the BlackBerry users are not your “average Joe” when it comes to using a phone. A smartphone. Thus it’s important to recognize and fulfill the need of these users of backing-up data. I’ve seen many people complaining about loss of data when their phones died or got stolen or fell into the tub (yeah, we take our BlackBerrys with us almost all the time!).

This issue has been addressed by many, including R.I.M. I won’t go into detail too much when it comes to Desktop Manager. Everybody employing a BlackBerry knows it. It can stay like this for a long time when you open it, finally connect, back-up everything by going to Backup and Restore/Backup/Options or by going to Backup and Restore/Advanced for a selective backup.

The disadvantage is that you can’t just put your messages or calendar entries back without overriding all your system (apps, settings), when sometimes you just want to restore some messages. Another issue I ran into was coming from a Bold 9000 (1GB internal memory) to Bold 9700 (256 MB internal memory): I couldn’t restore anything previously backed up because the internal memory was too small.

I backup every couple of months but as a last resort.

Another program good at backing-up is Best Buy’s m:iQ Live. Available for all kinds of smartphones, it will backup most of your usual stuff: images, videos, contacts, calendar entries, messages and call logs. You can share them, access them on the web and restore all when you’re in trouble or you have a new phone. Multi-platform is a great advantage as you’re not tied to a particular OS and you can switch. You install the application especially designed for BlackBerry on the phone and backup in minutes. It doesn’t have to be automatic and it doesn’t have to run constantly in the background. It can be used from time to time when necessary. It also has a neat “status update” feature, so others can see it when visiting your section.

There here comes good – ole Google with Google Sync. It’s a broader solution, as it includes all kinds on syncs including contacts by Gmail, calendar entries by Google Calendar, news by Google Reader, pictures by Picasa, videos by YouTube and tasks by Google Tasks. Of course, not all are available for BlackBerry through a dedicated client but contacts and calendar entries are more than enough for me. Both contacts and calendar entries will be auto synchronized every three hours, unless you chose to do it manually (at least for the contacts). I keep the calendar entries on automatic sync because I use it a lot (and modify data a lot), while the contacts are synced once at the beginning. In time, I could try another sync every few months especially because Gmail has a tool of finding and merging the duplicates, thus allowing me to keep the hundreds of names under control. The application itself is self-explanatory, tiny, can be installed Over The Air (OTA) and works automatically.

Of course there are other backup solutions but these are the ones I use and never had an issue with. This combo-solution is the perfect opportunity to backup and keep it simple. And not pay extra for it, of course.

[en] BlackBerry review: a Data Counter for my Bold [GSM/Blackberry/apps review/tech-head]

Bograma — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:55:14 +0000

So, what’s the most usual complain you get with people using BlackBerry? I really didn’t do a Top 3 or a Top 10, but one of the most common is the fact that Blackberry doesn’t have a data counter.

And I’m sure they know it but have no reason really to let you know exactly how much (money and time) you’ve wasted using the device. God forbids, you might wanna cut back on usage!
For a long, long time nobody thought (or cared) to make an app designed to count the Mb you use daily, weekly, monthly. For a while I used Mini Moni, which measures the band width rather than the consumption. Of course, it can’t tell you the Wi-Fi usage against the GSM or Roaming usage, which really kills the data counter purpose.

What is extremely unpleasant is the fact that all the GSM operators are charging considerable amounts of cash for a relative small usage (5 MB/ 15 MB/ 100 MB of traffic) subscription, so it’s really necessary to have the means to control it.

And then, by mistake, I found Mobile Data Alerter.

This little baby is the perfect example of how a BlackBerry application should be built. Its RAM footprint is small, the design is beautiful and the U.I is simple and complete.

Main screen:

As you can see, I have 2 connections available (self explanatory) and a 3rd field for Roaming. On the left you can see the consumption and on the right you can see the limits I imposed. The setting can be adjusted with any data limit, as you can see in the lower screen-shot.

Another interesting section is the “Active applications” in which you can see the potential data consuming apps – it’s nice to have especially since it will signal you if any of the ones above starts consuming a lot of data.

My only gripe is that is always running in the back putting the strain on the already small value of RAM available on my Bold. But I guess it’s always a trade-off, you lose some in order to get some.

This app is a definitive keeper. Get it here.

[ro] Noi metode de spam! [Romanik]

Bograma — Sun, 10 May 2009 12:47:15 +0000

Primesc un mesaj publicitar de la blt.ro. Nu stiu cine sunt,n-am cumparat vreodatabilete de la ei, insa ma infurie nesimtirea de care dau dovada;pe zi ce trece, gasesc noi metode de eludare a legii, iar de data asta pe o parte ma calca pe nervi, pe de alta parte izbucnesc in ras.

Asa-i mesajul: “Primiti acest mesaj in urma abonarii dvs pe site-ul nostru sau printr-un site partener. Daca nu mai doriti sa primiti mesaje de la noi sau considerati ca abonarea dvs s-a produs din greseala, va rugam sa acceptati scuzele noastre pentru neplacerile provocate si sa apasati pe acest link pentru a va dezabona http://www.bltblahblah. Va multumim.”
Cretinii au trecut si “site-urile partenere” pentru a justifica spam-ul si a ingreuna gasirea vinovatului;probabl au contracte semnate cu sute de clienti, care le sunt si parteneri pana la urma,nu?

Faza tare vine in momentul in care apesi link-ul;apare asta:

Ratatii nu ma pot dezabona pentru ca au o eroare in sistem (o aveau si ieri,or s-o aiba si maine) dar imi ofera posibilitatea de a suna la niste numere de telefon pentru a rezolva problema. Ah,ati observat cat de agramati sunt? Intr-o fraza de 15 cuvinte, un sfert sunt gresite! hahah Ce facem daca nu raspunde nimeni, pana la urma sunte in plina criza si oamenii n-au timp sa raspunda la telefoane. Este incredibil cum romanii gasesc tot felul de tertipuri de a ocoli o situatie absolut normala, in care un simplu sistem automat poate dezabona o adresa de e-mail cu 2 clickuri.

Le-am dat un email si le-am umplut frigideru’ de carne,i-am amenintat cu Protectia Consumatorului si astept cu interes raspunsul lor de luni. Daca nu-l primesc, am sa completez un formular. Cu putin noroc, isi iau cateva mii de lei amenda. Consider ca merita cele 5 minute pierdute scriind un email.

[en] In search for the perfect GPS Tracker for BlackBerry [tech/GSM/BlackBerry]

Bograma — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:12:33 +0000

Recently I switched sides;I didn’t go to the Dark Side, to the Jesus phone, the Iphone because I needed a smartphone, not a toy (OK, I’m a bit harsh here, the Iphone is almost a smartphone and will be if they make it a multi-tasking device). So I got a BlackBerry Bold instead. It has a real keyboard, a nice and wide screen and a fast processor.

Now I’m using it and needing a free GPS tracker.So I started testing.

For 2 months I’ve used GPSed. Nice program, lots of options and features, great possibilities on usability.

You can:

- record GPS track from your mobile and trace them on a map

- pin your pictures on a map based on GPS co-ordinates by geotagging

- attach photos to tracks from web-albums like Flickr, Picasa, etc

- share your tracks and photos with friends

- show your geographic position instantly

- the program is available to most of the phones equipped with a GPS module, on various OS platforms like Symbian, Windows Mobile,Iphone and BlackBerry. Additionally, you can get a Java version for other smartphones. All these are based on Google Maps. That’s both a plus and a minus. A plus is because it’s easier to build an app on top on a map already very exact. A minus for the same reason: an very exact map but especially focused on Western&North Europe and United States.I live in Romania. If I need a close POI Google Maps is not helpful. A map focused on my region and the locations I visit frequently is for example, Mio.
How it works? Pretty good. All you have to do is to start up the program and it will quietly run in the background all the time while you do other things on your smartphone. You can also run at the same time a GPS program (like AmAze you can run on various OS’-here are a bunch of demos) and even another GPS tracker if you like. The only toll taken is battery life. But I’ll comeback to that later, at the end.

You can be tracked in two ways: the phone updates your position in real time on GPSed.com, so people can track your progress (but this means you have to have a data plan which can be expensive AND GSM signal to constantly uplod data) or you can save your track at the end of the journey on the phone, data that can be uploaded onto GPSed.com by smartphone or PC. The 2nd variant is cheaper and safer. Why safer? Because I noticed that my real-time tracks were uploaded incomplete onto the site. This one was 2x longer than shown here. Why? I don’t know-I traveled on important roads with 3G GSM coverage on more than 60% of the time. An e-mail to the support team at GPSed didn’t change the outcome. They’ve replied a week later telling me they’ve submitted my inquiry to the developer;so far,so good. It’ll probably take them another month to check it.

And this is my main issue: this is a GPS tracker and can’t track my journeys properly. User support is virtually inexistent.It’s nice, it has tons of features I don’t use. I just wanna use the one important to me and I can’t as I should.

I have to say all these are not new. Several other programs offer the same functionality. The next try-out is happening right now.

Instamapper is a simple GPS tracker based on Google Maps (also). A simpler approach was taken probably in order to keep the layout simple and to have optimum results.

The Demo shows how the system works: it links the signals sent by the GPS module to put together the journey. The signals can be sent from the device from 1 to 999 seconds but ideally every 10-15 seconds while in town and over 121 seconds while out-of-town.The reason? As seen, the link doesn’t necessary follow the road and that’s my main gripe. When you travel outside the city, it’s really OK: you don’t change directions so often, so for sure you’ll be following the road even when sending signals every 2 minutes. But when in town, you can’t track the journey very accurate unless you modify the settings so the transmission to the site will be done every 10 to 15 seconds. Otherwise you have erroneous data. Data looks something like this:

2008-04-27 02:24:27
N 47.51167°
W 122.19801°
Altitude: 197 ft
Speed: 41 mph
Heading: 356 °

All data will be converted to metric if you live in a “metric” zone. You can save the track and share it with others thru a link you can provide; there is even a Facebook integration.There is some data usage (sending the data from the phone to the site) but Instamapper figures it won’t be more than 1 MB/month with fair usage. The supported OS’ are Iphone,Android and BlackBerry. Curiously, Nokia (Symbian) isn’t listed although there’s a line about some successful usage with some Nokia. But anybody can try,right?

I more important thing: battery life. Any of the GPS trackers or even regular maping systems will eat the battery in a few hours. A GPS tracker will use around 60% of the battery energy if used non-stop for around 3 hours with a 30 seconds updating schedule. This is a known issue but there is no cure for the moment except restricted usage for long periods of time and/or a car charger. On my way back from Galati I’ve changed the updating period from 30 seconds to 2 minutes thus putting the program at sleep in between communications. This allowed me to use only 25% of the battery life to track the same distance. A big difference indeed.

I am stopping here for the moment but other GPS trackers follow. I am sticking to Instamapper for the moment. It’s free, accurate, simple and efficient.

[ro] Prima zi a MWC, Barcelona 2008-Mobile World Congress [tech-head/GSM/Stiri]

Bograma — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 08:59:14 +0000

Astazi a inceput la Barcelona Congresul Mondial al Telefoniei Mobile, editia 2009. Dupa cum o spune si numele, in perioada 16-19 Februarie 2009 la standuri se vor regasi cele mai importante nume din lumea “mobila”, incepand cu producatorii de componente si terminale, gigantii Internetului (Google,Yahoo si Microsoft), pana la operatorii de telefonie mobila ca Orange, Vodafone sau T-Mobile. Scopul este prezentarea celor mai noi tehnologii si produse, de a discuta oportunitati de afaceri si starea actuala a industriei de telecomunicatii.

Desi initial se credea ca actuala criza economica va goni principalii participanti la Expozitiei, in final singurul mare absent este Apple; compania a participat la Macworld 2009,insa chiar si acolo a fost prezenta pentru ultima oara, iar Steve Jobs a trimis un inlocuitor, alimentand astfel zvonurile conform carora este grav bolnav.Site-urile majore de tehnologie si telecomunicatii mobile sunt prezente deja acolo si transmit live informatii referitoare la produsele prezentate:

Update-uri pentru toate marcile/produsele.

[en] A new communication era arises [Internet]

Bograma — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:27:11 +0000

Oh yeah, that’s for sure. After the dot com crash, after the Web 2.0 bubble, now it’s time for the newest, tottaly-integrated-in-out-lives Internet: social networks.

Along with all the disadvantages regarding the lack of privacy, the loss of precious time we have less and less of and other scary details, there is one certainty: we, the public, have uninterrupted, almost voyeuristic access to stars’ lives. And this is just the beggining. What they do, whom they meet, the projects they are into, all the funny stuff we long to know is here for the taking: Ashton Kutcher’s Qik and Twitter account, Demi Moore’s Twitter account and her Twitpic account that triggered widespread admiration!

PS: Ashton has more followers than Demi: is it because he’s so much younger thus using the Internet user’s demographics to his advantage? Might just be.

[ro] Postat de pe mobil-test [mobile]

Bograma — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:28:49 +0000

‘CHAPTER FIFTEEN (CONT’D)No doubt the thought that was uppermost in a thousand of those vigilant minds, even as it was uppermost in mine, was the riddle–how much they understood of us. Did they grasp that we in our millions were organized, disciplined,working together? Or did they interpret our spurts of fire, the sudden stinging of our shells, our steady investment of their encampment, as we should the furious unanimity of onslaught in a disturbed hive…‘.
Am ajuns din nou in a incerca sa postez o insemnare de pe mobil.Iar in conditiile actuale nu functioneaza cum trebuie.Este ok,nu este vina Weblog-ului,decat dintr-un alt punct…

(Editat pe PC) Iar aici s-au intamplat doua lucruri:primul ar fi ca sistemul a dat sa salveze in mod automat ceea ce am scris (si n-a facut-o!), in timp ce eu am continuat sa scriu ceva ce nu s-a mai salvat pentru ca…(2) a crapat browserul-cerinta de memorie este prea mare pentru astea 15 randuri.

Ma gandeam ca cel mai simplu ar fi sa scriu in Word si sa incarc doar link-ul catre insemnare. Penibil. Penibil pentru ca Weblog nu suporta decat IE, pentru ca nu exista o posibilitate de a incarca si fotografii si penibil pentru ca un smartphone modern nu poate sustine o pagina de internet de dimensiune mica (HTML este adevarat), in care sa scrii 15 randuri. Pentru asemenea lucruri de calitate indoielnica platim sute de Euro…

[ro] Google Romania – ultimul update [Internet]

Bograma — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:26:42 +0000

Google a raspuns cerintelor celui mai “bogat” si fitos segment de utilizatori de Internet (si de Google ca principal motor de cautare,evident) si a adaptat interfata pentru a raspunde nevoilor acestora. Sunt fericit ca si noi, ca romani, avem reprezentanti de seama care lucreaza pentru Google, unde sunt stimati si apreciati pentru munca depusa!

[ro] Feed-uri cu texte partiale sau intregi? [romanik]

Bograma — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 20:02:29 +0000

Iata cum subiectele interesante devin main-stream si in blogosfera romaneasca. Ma rog, pentru multi nu este chiar atat de interesant subiectul legat de existenta textelor intregi sau partiale (d)in feedurile RSS, texte care apartin celor mai importante bloguri de pe la noi.

Dar pentru mine a contat dintotdeauna.Sa ma explic: pentru ca smartphone-ul este prelungirea mainii mele drepte, il folosesc sa dau e-mailuri, sa fac browsing, sa citesc tot felul de chestii. In permanenta. Iar pentru colecatrea datelor folosesc RSS Feeder-ul inclus. Si pentru ca nu stiam ca exista si feed-uri cu texte full, pierdeam o gramada de timp deschizand paginile aferente pentru a citi intregul articol. Ceea ce este normal daca stirea este interesanta. De ce spun ca pierdeam timp (inca o fac)? Pentru ca oricine foloseste un RSS Feed pe mobil stie cata presiune pune un asemenea program pe procesor si pe memoria RAM cand face updates si cand deschide feedurile.Nu o data mi s-a intamplat ca browserul sa “rasneasca” 40 de secunde (prin conexiune 3G sau wi-Fi) pentru a incarca o pagina full-HMTL care trece prin serverele Opera pentru un “rendering” complet. Si tot merge extrem de greu!

Aceasta este principala mea “reclamatie” cand vine vorba de texte partiale. Si in timp ce sunt de acord cu Buddha in tot ceea ce spune, nu pot trece cu vederea cum pierd minute in sir pentru a deschide fiecare articol – paginile pline de reclame au impact crescut in lentoarea cu care este incarcata o pagina. Stiu ca pe bloggeri nu-i intereseaza asta, insa cred ca focusul ar trebui sa fie pe utilizator. In definitiv, cei care citesc articolele sunt cei care dau valoare unui blog,nu-i asa?

Iar asta este singura mea problema. In rest,da, este munca omului si ea trebuie onorata macar printr-o vizita, daca tot il citim si daca asta conteaza pentru el! Partea cu bannerele pe mine, personal, ma incurca pentru ca asa cum spuneam, imi incarca sistemul mult prea mult.

Si asa a aparut controversa: daca autorul trebuie sau nu sa permita publicarea full a articolelor pentru a ajuta cititorul. Si nu numai asta: un feed cu text complet se poate citi offline. Se poate citi mai repede si mai organizat. Se afiseaza numai informatia relevanta. Se afiseaza separat comentariile (alt feed poate) si asta poate avea efect (in minus) asupra existentei comentariilor. Care conteaza cel mai mult,nu-i asa?

Unii au facut curat in Reader si i-au dilit pe toti cei care n-au textele full. Este si asta o forma de prostest. Dar nu rezolva nimic. Daca il citesti pe om,il citesti cu sau fara full text in feed.

Doar ca pe unii am sa-i citesc mai des pentru ca este mai facil s-o fac de pe mobil cu RSS feed full in fiecare dimineata.

PS: situatia a fost dezbatuta de Dave Winer, un blogger favorit.

Later edit: Am adaugat si un videoclip cu modul in care pot citi un feed de la partial la full. Dureaza cel putin 4 minute pentru a incarca totul Sper sa aveti rabdare sa-l vedeti pana la capat, insa de-aia spun ca nu pot sa “pun” articolul deoparte si sa-l citesc mai tarziu. Mai tarziu, cand?

De acord, poate la mine este o situatie speciala si poate ca Bobby Voicu se referea la utlizatorii de laptopuri care citesc totul pe fuga, insa chiar si asa:ati incercat sa faceti vreodata update la Google Reader cu 100 de feeduri printr-un modem mobil de gen Vodafone? Si cand sunteti in miscare si nu aveti 3G, ci doar GPRS? Dureaza circa 20 de minute…