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Overhauling a home network, part 3 -- Micca and the best-laid plans

Publié: mars 8, 2013, 11:21pm CET par Alan Buckingham

Third in a series. Two weeks have passed since we last visited this topic, but I wanted to be fair with this next part before writing it. As you will recall from part one, I decided to replace my Windows Media Center HTPC and the NetGear NeoTV 550, because both are so old and slow. While I wanted to do so with one box, there was a major stumbling block -- most of our movies are ripped to ISO images. I would prefer a Google TV to replace both, but in the end got a Micca box to take the place of the HTPC and then still ordered a Vizio Co-Star because I simply could not resist.

Things have not gone entirely as I planned. In fact, as you may recall from part two of this series, nothing has really gone the way I had hoped.

Beauty is Skin Deep

The Micca is slim and very handsome. A SATA hard drive can easily be added from an optical drawer on the side of the box to provide built-in storage.

I knew the user interface is scant -- I saw the images on the website. That is not my concern. While Windows Media Center has a beautiful motif, I can live without it. I am looking for functionality and Micca promises to play virtually every codec, including my ISO files.

The UI is stark, but not a problem. Functionality is. First, I cannot access the HDD I added to the box from any computer on my network, meaning I cannot move video files to local storage for easier streaming. The box does allow me to access files on other computers and DLNA devices, but that is problematic -- sometimes they show up, sometimes not.

Combine these network problems with the UI and it is a recipe for failure. When my family sits down to watch something they expect everything to work. This setup does not always fill that most basic need.

Moving On

So where do I go now? I will remove the HTPC. I have not done this yet because I want to test longer before disconnecting everything. I am very glad I took that approach.

I will move to the Vizio Co-Star full-time, though doing so entails some significant hassle on my part. Those ISO movie files will not play there -- I have looked for workarounds, without success. If you know of one, please chime in in the comments below -- yes, I am crowd-sourcing my problems.

Where to Now?

For lack of an ISO solution on Google TV, I face the rather daunting task of converting ISO files to AVI format. It is not difficult just very time-consuming. Thankfully I work mainly on my laptop, so to open a file on the desktop and hit a covert button periodically is not labor-intensive. Plus I will save hard drive space.

In the meantime, I will keep the Netgear NeoTV active (it plays ISO -- hint to Google) to handle those ISO movies that have not yet been converted -- just in case Indiana Jones starts calling my kids' names.

In part four, I'll look at how well Google TV can replace a dedicated HTPC -- it certainly has to be better than Micca.

Photo Credits: Alan Buckingham
More smartphone owners stick with Android than iPhone

Publié: mars 8, 2013, 8:18pm CET par Alan Buckingham

Developers must make hard choices when choosing what platforms to support. In mobile, popular convention is iPhone first. But does that approach, in the real world of smartphone ownership, really make sense in 2013? Let us take a look at the hard numbers that were recently published by comScore and see what they can tell us.

This may be a self-perpetuating problem for Apple; according to ComScore, the Google platform simply offers more opportunity because of its larger user base, though that is far from the only consideration for developers. Granted, both mobile operating systems are wildly popular, despite the best efforts of Microsoft to get Windows Phone OS into contention (OK, maybe "best efforts" is going a bit far) -- Android and Apple combine for nearly 90 percent of the smartphone market -- 53 and 36 percent respectively.

But that is only half of the puzzle -- While Android holds a commanding lead in share, it retains only 48 percent of those users, while Apple holds onto 62 percent. That means that just over 25 out of 100 users stick with Google, while a bit more than 22 look at the world through Apple goggles. Sounds good, but if the trend were to continue then the sides would eventually change. Except that is not the case. You see, while 8 out of 10 current iPhone customers are returning buyers, that current 62 percent number means shrinking to only 6 of 10.

Benjamin Travis says that "iOS is popular among a slightly younger demographic than Android users, with 18-24 year olds representing 19 percent of all iPhone owners compared to 16 percent of Android owners". While that may initially sound promising, the news for Apple is not all good here, plus the gap just is not that big and likely could be shrinking.

The two smartphone bases engage differently with mobile content as well. First of all, comScore finds that the Android platform has a greater number of media users in each category. While iPhone users tend to be generally more engaged with their devices and apps, market share becomes important -- shear audience size is hard to beat.

Travis goes on to point out that "iPhone users show a greater propensity to engage in [M-Commerce] behavior with 23 percent having done so versus 17 percent of Android owners. iPhone owners are also more likely to make purchases on their phones on a regular basis". This is also an important consideration for those looking to monetize by means other than in-app ads, but that is less than half of the apps on the market.

comScore also points out that iPhone owners tend to think very highly of their devices and, as a result, they are likely to remain loyal users over time. This is perhaps the red herring. Sixty-two percent of iPhone users would stick with the device versus forty-eight percent for Android.

There are other considerations not mentioned. The biggest one is a users' library of purchased apps -- once you are invested in a platform it becomes increasingly harder to move on. Regardless of income level nobody wants to purchase the same apps twice. Again, the larger share is likely more important to Android now.

In the end, while comScore tries to play fair with both sides and avoid controversy, when you read between the lines, the direction is clear. Android's ever-increasing market share means more potential downloads and, with M-Commerce numbers that are not that far apart, more potential revenue. Google also runs a more open platform, making it easier to gets apps into the market -- something Apple developers have sometimes struggled with.
Best Windows 8 apps this week

Publié: mars 8, 2013, 5:50pm CET par Martin Brinkmann

Nineteenth in a series. Welcome to this week's episode of our ongoing series about some of the best new apps that released this week for the Windows 8 operating system.

The app count grew to 31,448 apps in the US Windows Store, which is an increase of 1,149 apps in total; 824 of those apps are listed as free in the store while the remaining 325 apps are listed commercial applications or desktop programs listed in Store.

When you look at the total ratio of free to paid applications in Windows Store you will notice that the ratio is about 3:1 in favor of free apps. Currently 24,135 free apps are listed in-store and 7,313 paid applications and desktop programs.

We have seen a couple of interesting releases and updates this week that I'd like to mention right at the beginning. Stardock released ModernMix, a program for Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro that enables you to run apps on the desktop in windows.

As far as app updates go: we have one for the ESPN app this week, introducing Scorecenter, which helps users of the app keep track of scores. On the downside, ads were introduced to the app as well.

Box, too, updated its Windows 8 application, which Alan Buckingham mentioned here on Betanews. Last, but not least, both the Kindle and Hulu apps were also updated this week. The Kindle app supports a two-column mode now to read two pages of a book side by side, while Hulu's app received a couple of interface enhancements.

App of the Week

Next Issue

Next Issue, a subscription-based service that offers access to more than 80 different magazines, is now available for Windows 8. You can sign up for a 30-day free trial to read magazines such as Time, Wired, Sports Illustrated or Car and Driver using the application. Two subscription plans are available after the trial. A basic plan for $9.99 per month that provides you with access to all monthly magazines, and a premium plan for $14.99 which adds weekly magazines to the available titles.

If you are already a subscriber, you can sign in using your account right away to start reading all magazines available to your subscription level.

Other Apps

Gmail Touch

While you can simply open Gmail in one of the browsers available on Windows 8 to manage your email, you can alternatively use an app like Gmail Touch to make the service more touch-friendly. It needs to be noted that Gmail Touch is not an official Google applications so that caution is advised when you are using it.

The application makes available a touch-optimized Gmail interface on Windows 8 that you can use to read, write, search and manage emails on Windows 8.

Manifest Destiny ($1.99, trial available).

This is a basic strategy game for Windows 8 in which you are tasked with conquering all your opponents on the map. You start with one region and a couple of troops that you can use to attack neighboring regions. Strength is indicated by dots in each region and corresponds to dice that are thrown when you attack or defend. You can snag away empty regions right away while battles decide the fate of all other regions.

You receive a new dice for each region you own at the end of each turn, and can place them into your regions to strengthen defenses or prepare for attacks that you want to carry out next turn.

8Tracks Radio

This Internet radio station makes available more than 700,000 mixtapes that you can listen to. You start by selecting one or multiple moods or genres that you would like to listen to. The app displays a list of hits that you can listen to individually or add all to a playlist to listen to the music stream continuously.

It is alternatively possible to click on the 8tracks button in the interface to access a list of featured and trending playlists that you can listen to instead.

Serene ($2.99)

Serene offers custom ambient sounds for you that play in the background while you are working or trying to relax. You pick a general sound environment like rain storm, lake or farm when you start the application, and are then led to a page where you can modify what you hear further.

Sliders are displayed here that you can use to change the volume of a particular sound, e.g. rain or thunder, as well as the sounds probability.

Video Games

This application makes available information about popular video games in its interface. Information includes trailers and videos, cheat codes, information about missions and equipment, and more.

It seems to concentrate on games for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, and not the PC or handheld consoles. The app seems to lack fresh contents though, as users have been complaining about a lack of updates for some time now.

Health Vault

Health Vault by Microsoft is an app for the service of the same name that enables users from all over the world to store, access and share health related information from the web or one of the available apps.

Once you have started to add health related information to the service, you can keep track of them using the application. You can use the information to manage your weight, track your exercises or diets, and that not only for you but for other family members as well.

Picasa HD

This is another unofficial application that brings a Google service to Windows 8 in form of an application. You are asked to sign in to your Google account first to use the application. Once you have done that, you can browse and display all your Picasa albums using the application.

The app supports live tiles, the sharing of albums and photos using Windows 8's built-in sharing capabilities, photo and album search, as well as slideshow and zooming effects.

EaseUS FileManager

I prefer to use Windows Explorer for all file management tasks on Windows 8, but if you like the idea of a full screen file manager then EaseUS FileManager is a program you may want to take a closer look at.

It displays common, favorite and recent folders on the start screen that you can browse to easily with a tap on the folder or a click of the mouse button. The file manager supports all basic file operations including copying, moving and sorting files and folders on the system.
'Be safe out there' is brilliant marketing

Publié: mars 8, 2013, 4:57pm CET par Joe Wilcox

Phil Schiller doesn't cast a big shadow. Sure he is Apple's big cheese over global marketing, but in product briefings or Apple keynotes, Schiller never struck me as having much presence, particularly around the charismatic Steve Jobs. Somehow, I expect lead marketer to be more like Don Draper of AMC's "Mad Men". Schiller has lots of enthusiasm, but not command. He comes across as too nice a guy.

But make no mistake, his contributions to Apple, over nearly two decades, are immeasurable -- and not the topic of this post. There's another kind of presence, one of brilliant ideas and behind-the-scenes leadership. Yesterday, Schiller showed his brilliance, and scored a tremendous marketing coup for Apple in just four words: "Be safe out there".

That tweet and link to F-Secure report on mobile malware spread across the InterWebs, and I'm still reading about it today. The security firm's study might otherwise have gotten little notice if not for Schiller's tweet, which shows that even 140 characters is sometimes too much to have impact. You can do so much more with less.

Like everyone I assume the tweet comes from Apple's Schiller, being a verified account. But there is no photo of the man associated with the account, and the posts really aren't about Apple -- this one being rare exception. If it is the man, he is the man, doing in a few seconds what Draper couldn't in an hour-long TV drama. Have meaningful marketing impact.

Hell, I suggest that Apple take "Be Safe out There" and turn it into an advertising campaign, along the lines of "Think Different". Catchphrases have impact, and there is so much the Cupertino, Calif.-based company could do with this one to take command of mobile security messaging. To put forth iPhone as the safe choice, when Android poses so much risk. Schiller is on to something big. Those four words carry huge connotations, and they're friendly. "Be safe out there".

As for the report, it's a loaded gun just waiting to be fired again, since Schiller already pulled the trigger once. During fourth quarter, the number of new malware variants targeting Android jumped to 96 from 49. Meanwhile, those for iOS fell from two to zero. For all 2012, Android accounted for 79 percent of all malware, up from 66.7 percent a year earlier. By comparison, iOS was too low to measure in 2011, and 0.7 percent last year.

"The rise of Android malware can be largely attributed to the operating system’s increasing foothold in the mobile market", according to F-Secure. Gartner puts Android's smartphone sales share at 69.7 percent. Meanwhile, iOS: 20.9 percent, but less than 1 percent of mobile malware. The disparity begs to be highlighted.

Other platforms -- BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows Phone -- are minuscule, too. But in guerrilla marketing, information like that is discarded. Apple has much to gain from promoting iOS as the safer choice over Android, particularly with Samsung Galaxy S IV set to launch a week from today in New York. Caesar, beware the Ides of March.

Samsung is the global leader for smartphones and all handsets, according to Gartner. iPhone follows far behind (well, not in the United States). Apple should seize the marketing high ground by focusing on Android's perceived security weakness. iPhone can't win a feature fight with S4 -- or even S3. So drop the safe bomb instead, by playing off people's fears and offering them something to trust.

"Be safe out there" is just beginning.
Updated LinkedIn and Twitter apps come to BlackBerry 10

Publié: mars 8, 2013, 3:24pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

BlackBerry Z10 owners rejoice! Updated LinkedIn and Twitter apps for BB 10 are now available, touting new features and improvements over previous iterations. The update promises to improve the social experience on BlackBerry's latest mobile operating system with "an enhanced tweeting experience and helpful business tools", according to the Canadian device maker.

Let's take them one by one. The LinkedIn app, which has seen the least number of improvements and new features of the two, now allows users to view LinkedIn profiles in full screen mode, search, view and save recommended jobs, chat with connections through LinkedIn Messages and filter news by industries through LinkedIn Today.

Twitter went through a more significant overhaul compared to LinkedIn. Users now have access to an improved compose tweet screen that comes with location support, a shortcut for the "@" sign and provides the ability to add pics either by snapping a new one or choosing an existing one.

Users can send direct messages from the "Me" tab, edit the profile picture, header and details, view a complete conversation history after tapping on a tweet and delete their own tweets. Other features include the ability to block and report other users as spam, display full screen images, quote tweets after selecting "Retweet" and open the tweet's details page.

LinkedIn and Twitter are available to download from the BlackBerry World store.
Listary makes file searching less of a chore

Publié: mars 8, 2013, 3:18pm CET par Nick Peers

Bopsoft has released Listary 4.0 and Listary Portable 4.0, the latest builds of its lightweight, ultra-compact search add-on for Windows users. The new release has been rewritten from scratch, and simplifies browsing and searching for files from a number of locations, including Windows Explorer, Open/Save dialog boxes and various third-party tools.

Version 4.0 includes a number of major new features, including disk and sub-folder search, fuzzy navigation, History, Actions and Projects. It also comes with a number of notable improvements, including enhanced search performance and ranking.

Listary is triggered from Windows Explorer, application open/save dialog boxes and other supported programs simply by typing keywords -- for example, browse to a folder and start typing to see a list of files and folders containing the letters or phrase typed.

Version 4.0 adds a number of major new features. By adding the ‘>’ prefix to an item, Listary will switch on the new Disk Search mode to search across your entire hard drive for the file or folder name entered as opposed to the currently selected folder. Note that Disk Search only works with NTFS-formatted drives.

Projects, Actions and Fuzzy Navigation support are all billed as new Pro features, but will work without restriction in the free version, with the occasional nag screen and reminder to upgrade whenever they’re used. Projects allows users to create shortcuts to frequently accessed folders that can be searched directly from the Listary dialog simply by entering the folder’s name or pre-defined shortcut. Browse to the folder and type proj to set it up.

A new Actions feature provides users with access to commands from the Windows Explorer context menu from Listary by selecting the target file and pressing the right cursor key. Also added is Fuzzy Navigation, which allows users to drill down to favorite files without knowing their exact name or location by typing what you do remember – such as a mixture of the parent folder name and the file itself.

Also added to version 4.0 is the ability to exclude items from the Recent list by drive, folder or user-defined filter -- this feature is managed manually via the History tab of Listary’s Options dialog. Toolbars and menus can also now be customized via the Menu tab. A tutorial is also provided to give users a head start into using the program -- this launches automatically on first-run, and can be repeated via the program’s Taskbar Notification Area icon at any time.

Support for many third-party file explorer tools has been updated to support the latest versions and add new tools, such as FreeCommander XE, XnView and Clover. The program now also checks for updates automatically -- a timely addition as both skin and custom action support for Pro users is planned for version 4.1.

Listary 4.0 is rounded off by a number of improvements, including better search ranking and performance, better support for changing the portable folder’s user-data location and an enhanced auto-expanding folder option.

Listary 4.0 and Listary Portable 4.0 are both available as a free-for-personal use downloads for Windows XP or later. The commercial version -- Listary Pro -- can be unlocked within the program and costs $19.95 for a three-computer license and lifetime of free updates.

Photo credit: olly/Shutterstock
Motorola Droid Razr and Maxx, you're getting Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean!

Publié: mars 8, 2013, 1:52pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

Almost a year and a half ago, Motorola introduced the skinny Droid Razr smartphone which was followed shortly by its Droid Razr Maxx younger brother, thicker but with a beefed-up battery onboard. Originally the two devices came with Android 2.3 Gingerbread but Google's subsidiary upgraded both to Ice Cream Sandwich in mid-2012.

And, now, Motorola has another surprise in store for Droid Razr and Droid Razr Maxx owners -- Android 4.1.2 is coming. The Verizon-branded handsets will be able to take advantage of a plethora of new features and improvements courtesy of the first Jelly Bean iteration. There are also a number of bug fixes and less branded apps included alongside the coveted software upgrade, which bears the "98.72.16.XT912.Verizon.en.US" moniker.

On the Droid Razr and Droid Razr Maxx, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean delivers the Google Now personal assistant with enhanced voice search capabilities, revamped camera with better picture quality, more accurate dictionaries for the keyboard with word predictions, new Gallery app, revised notification panel with expandable notifications, support for Wi-Fi hotspot and Chrome as the default browser.

Motorola has also fixed a number of bugs for 3G and 4G connectivity (improved voice and data connection and coverage quality), audio settings (easier to find and edit Audio Effects), contacts (sync will occur more often), global roaming (improved GSM roaming connectivity), Google Maps (faster GPS lock-in times), music playlists (playlists are easier to create), Outlook sync (faster updates for email and calendar) and Quick Office (fixed random closing when displaying documents).

The software upgrade also removes a number of apps (Alarm and Timer, MOTOACTV, MOTOCAST 2.0, MOTOPRINT, My Gallery, My Music, Social Location and Verizon Video on Demand) and widgets (My Gallary, My MOTOCAST, My Music, Picture Slideshow, Social Location, Sticky Note and Weather & World Clock).

Motorola advises Droid Razr and Droid Razr Maxx users to only install the update using Wi-Fi and when the battery has more than 50 percent charge left.
Average UK adult spends 3.9 years of their entire life using a mobile phone. At a guess

Publié: mars 8, 2013, 12:21pm CET par Wayne Williams
There are surveys covering all manner of topics, many of which have been commissioned purely by companies hoping to grab some headlines for their products and services. Take this new survey from MobileInsurance, some UK mobile phone insurer I’ve never heard of (since I've never insured a phone in my life -- that's partly what my home contents insurance is for).

The firm apparently asked 2,314 mobile phone users aged 18 or over from around the UK just how long they spend on their phones every day. That’s phoning people, sending texts, using apps and playing games. And they received an answer of 90 minutes a day, which works out to 32,850 minutes a year, or 22.8 days, or -- if you want the ultimate figure -- 3.9 years of your entire average adult lifespan. That’s a lot of time spent playing with your phone. And all complete rubbish of course.

For starters, do you know how long you spend on your phone? No. You could guess a figure, which I suspect is what pretty much all of the responders have done. I personally have no idea, at all, how long I spend on my phone on average. Since I also use an iPod touch for notifications, and an iPad for other tasks, it makes it very hard to say exactly how much time I spend looking at all the different screens combined, let alone what the figure is broken down by device. So that estimate of 90 minutes a day might be right, it could be entirely wrong. You don’t need to survey over 2,000 people to get that figure, you could just make it up yourself.

It depends on the day, on your situation, on your age, on your device -- even on your provider. I once spent over an hour just trying to access a website from a place with hardly any signal. I know it's an average figure they're claiming, but I'm not sure I could actually even begin to guess that with any degree of accuracy. It could be anything. 90 minutes, 180 minutes, 30 minutes. No clue.

Jason Brockman, Director of MobileInsurance.co.uk, said: "I was amazed to see how much we use our mobile phones over the course of a year and even our whole adult lifetime. To see that we text, call, browse the net, use apps, take pictures and more for almost 4 years in our lifetime is astounding".

No it isn’t Jason. You do anything for any length of time -- like eating, sleeping, having sex, watching TV -- it all adds up. If you spend five minutes a week looking for lost car keys that alone totals 11 days of your life wasted.

The survey did bring up some marginally more interesting results though. When asked what they most used their phones for, the recipients stated the following:
- Browsing the internet -- 24%
- Sending texts -- 21%
- Making phone calls -- 17%
- Using apps -- 15%
- Emails -- 13%
- Taking pictures -- 6%
- Other -- 4%
If anything I’m surprised that making phone calls rated so highly. I'd have thought apps would be higher too, but it depends on what type of phones the people surveyed actually own.

Do you know how long you spend on your phone on a daily basis, and what do you mostly use it for?

Photo Credit: Adam Radosavljevic/
Replace the Windows clock with a talking alternative

Publié: mars 8, 2013, 12:20pm CET par Mike Williams

The standard Windows taskbar clock is small, simple and efficient, but also a little dull. And there are no significant options to change how it looks or behaves, either, so if you’d like to customize this part of your desktop then you’ll need a little assistance from the Talking Desktop Clock.

We were initially a little suspicious of the program, as it has a fairly small installer, but then downloads several additional files as setup progresses. Was this going to be adware? Fortunately the answer was no, the program really is free with no catches, and on first launch it immediately displayed an attractive analogue clock in the bottom right corner of our desktop.

And while this probably won’t be precisely what you want, don’t worry -- the strength of this program comes in its extreme configurability, and just about everything can be changed.

To get started, right-click the Talking Desktop Clock system tray icon, and select Options > Clocks. Here you can change the clock style to another analogue option, perhaps a simple digital clock, maybe with or without the time. If you don’t like the position of the clock then it can be dragged and dropped wherever you like. And while by default it’s displayed in front of other windows, you can set it to stay behind them, or make it partly transparent.

Many people won’t like having this size of clock on their desktop at all, of course, but that’s not a problem. The program can alternatively replace the standard Windows clock, so you might have a tiny analogue clock displayed in the bottom right of the taskbar. This won’t display the date (unless you’ve chosen a clock style which includes that), but just hover your mouse cursor over the clock and it’ll display the current date, the local time, and even the time for any other Windows clocks you might have set up.

As you might guess from the name, Talking Desktop Clock can also say the time (or play a custom sound) every 15, 30 or 60 minutes, or at some other preferred interval. Conveniently, you can restrict this to a particular time of day only, perhaps 8:00am to 6:00pm. The program would then remind you of the time during the working day, when you most needed it, but be quiet at other times.

Just in case this versatility isn’t enough, clicking View > Settings reveals even more options. There are configurable hotkeys you can use to say the time, or show and hide the clock, for example, as well as several useful mouse settings (double-clicking the taskbar clock can open the Options window).

And all of this comes in a surprisingly compact package, which can require less than 3MB RAM when running in the background (although this does depend on your settings).

There are a few small issues here. Some settings are displayed inconsistently, for instance, while others require a little thought before you’ll get the program behaving as you expect.

For the most part, though, Talking Desktop Clock works very well: it’s fun, lightweight and highly configurable, and an excellent replacement for the standard Windows clock.

Photo credit: xc/Shutterstock