Ουράνιο τόξο

Σουρρεάλ σκηνή: Στο μετρό προς το αεροδρόμιο, εγώ και η Θεοφανία Παπαθωμά καθόμαστε σχεδόν δίπλα-δίπλα. Η Θεοφανία casual και ελαφρώς ατημέλητη, αλλά λαμπερή όπως πάντα. Εγώ γυρνάω από τη δουλειά και ακούω το Creeping Death των Metallica από το mp3 player μου. Όλη τη μέρα έβρεχε δυνατά και εκείνη τη στιγμή είχε σταματήσει σχεδόν, οπότε μετά την Παιανία εμφανίζεται ένα απίθανο ουράνιο τόξο… σχεδόν ταυτόχρονα βγάζουμε τα κινητά μας για να βγάλουμε φωτογραφία αυτό το σπάνιο θέαμα, εγώ καθισμένος δίπλα στο παράθυρο, η Θεοφανία σηκώνεται μέχρι την πόρτα για να έχει καλύτερη θέα. Χαμογελάσαμε και οι δύο, μια νότα αισιοδοξίας. Εγώ κατέβηκα λίγο αργότερα, αυτή ίσως συνέχισε προς το αεροδρόμιο, δεν κοίταξα πίσω μου.

Απίθανο? Κι όμως συνέβη την προηγούμενη Πέμπτη.

(Re-) Installing Windows (and the required additional software)

I took some time during weekend to backup some things from my Acer Aspire One 751h, format the hard disk and re-install Windows, as it started being laggy and the hard disk kept reading and reading for long periods. In addition, there was a noticeable lagging in almost every function (e.g. Skype), which made the netbook almost unusuable in some cases (leading to several “Not Responding” messages. I had a dual booting system with Windows 7 Pro and Jolicloud installed, but I heard that Windows Home might be easier for my netbook to cope up with, having lower minimum requirements (even though I didn’t manage to confirm this statement from the Microsoft website). On the other hand, I rarely used Jolicloud (or Joli OS now) during the last months; despite them being advertised as an OS designed primarily for netbooks, it was too cloud-based for me and I found myself missing access to files etc. when I was working ofline. Joilicoud is one of the few Linux distributions with native support for the GMA500 of Acer 751h (which is a really problematic piece of hardware, when it comes to software support/drivers in both Windows and Linux), but I was not ready to

So, this time I went for the Windows Home Premium. Installation was pretty snappy, using a bootable USB with Windows 7 that I had created some time ago.

In the meantime, I tried to install an alternative OS, Zorin OS, which is considered as the Linux distribution closest to Windows interface, so I thought that it might be handy. I downloaded the free version, created a bootable USB stick with UNetbootin Even though the interface was really close to Windows (so familiar), there was no native support for GMA500, so I had to quit it really soon. Unofrtunately I do not have the time nor the knowledge to tweak any Linux settings on my own…

The netbook seems more responsive now, and I started installing my favourite freeware apps in order to bring it closer to my needs:

A, System addons:

1. Java: A must for the system, as a lot of web sites are depending on Java.
2. Flash/Shockwave player: Flash installation is not needed when using Chrome, as it is integrated in the system. On the other hand, Shockwave Player is a must, especially in some social networking sites.
3. MS Sliverlight: Just in case it is needed for the playback of videos in some web sites. Makes video playback smooth.

B. Apps

1. Google Chrome: I went for the Chrome when I realized how sluggish was Firefox a couple of years ago. Through the years I appreciated the speed and simplicity of Chrome and I have become a fan since then!
2. 7zip: A must for handling compressed files. It is free, with friendly user interface and minimum user intervention.
3. GOM Media Player: A great video player, especially for low-end machines like my netbook. Customizable, supporting a wide variety of formats through internal codecs, while additional codecs can be downloaded for free, if needed.
4. Filehippo: Helps me keep my apps updated. The utility is small and quick.
5. DriverMax: Helps me keep my drivers updates. I am not sure about how it works, but I get some updated versions of drivers every now and then.
6. Windows Mobile Device Center: For syncing my Windows Mobile phone (an HTC Touch HD featuring a kwbr WM6.5 ROM)
7. Dropbox:  For keeping my precious working documents synced between my various computers. I currently managed to have 3GB of space there.
8. Sugarsync: For keeping my precious working documents, as the 3GB of Dropbox are not enough. I think I currently have 5GB of space in Sugarsync.
9. Irfanview: A great image viewing and editing app. It is small, light and has a comprehensive package of plugins.
10. Foxit Reader: A lightweight PDF reader with a lot of useful options (e.g. commenting, post-it notes etc.). I prefer it over the official Adobe Reader app (which is really chunky) but it seems to have issues when it comes to online forms and submitted forms.
11. Bullzip PDF printer: A great app that allows the conversion of almost all file types to PDF through the Print option.
12. CCleaner: Helps me keep my hard disk clean and free of temp files. You would be surprised by the amount of space allocated to temp files in your computer. It also clean the registry, by removing useless entries.
13. Skype: A must for communicating with colleagues and family. Even though I was an old and loyal MS Messenger user, it seems that almost everyone has migrated to Skype (Messenger has even dropped the option for video calls). Using Skype for internal office communication and online meetings with colleagues is really often.

(Re-) Installing Windows (and the required additional software)

I took some time during weekend to backup some things from my Acer Aspire One 751h, format the hard disk and re-install Windows, as it started being laggy and the hard disk kept reading and reading for long periods. In addition, there was a noticeable lagging in almost every function (e.g. Skype), which made the netbook almost unusuable in some cases (leading to several “Not Responding” messages. I had a dual booting system with Windows 7 Pro and Jolicloud installed, but I heard that Windows Home might be easier for my netbook to cope up with, having lower minimum requirements (even though I didn’t manage to confirm this statement from the Microsoft website). On the other hand, I rarely used Jolicloud (or Joli OS now) during the last months; despite it being advertised as an OS designed primarily for netbooks (and it is indeed really user friendly and responsive), it was too cloud-based for me and I found myself missing access to files etc. when I was working ofline. Joilicoud is one of the few Linux distributions with native support for the GMA500 of Acer 751h (which is a really problematic piece of hardware, when it comes to software support/drivers in both Windows and Linux), but I was not ready to migrate to a solution other than MS Office at the moment.

In the meantime, I tried to install an alternative OS, Zorin OS, which is considered as the Linux distribution closest to Windows interface, so I thought that it might be handy. I downloaded the free version, created a bootable USB stick with UNetbootin Even though the interface was really close to Windows (so familiar), there was no native support for GMA500, so I had to quit it really soon. Unofrtunately I do not have the time nor the knowledge to tweak any Linux settings on my own…

See the full gallery on Posterous

So, this time I went for the Windows Home Premium. Installation was pretty snappy, using a bootable USB with Windows 7 that I had created some time ago. The netbook seems more responsive now, and I started installing my favourite freeware apps in order to bring it closer to my needs:

A, System addons:

1. Java: A must for the system, as a lot of web sites are depending on Java.
2. Flash/Shockwave player: Flash installation is not needed when using Chrome, as it is integrated in the system. On the other hand, Shockwave Player is a must, especially in some social networking sites.
3. MS Sliverlight: Just in case it is needed for the playback of videos in some web sites. Makes video playback smooth.

B. Apps

1. Google Chrome: I went for the Chrome when I realized how sluggish was Firefox a couple of years ago. Through the years I appreciated the speed and simplicity of Chrome and I have become a fan since then!
2. 7zip: A must for handling compressed files. It is free, with friendly user interface and minimum user intervention.
3. GOM Media Player: A great video player, especially for low-end machines like my netbook. Customizable, supporting a wide variety of formats through internal codecs, while additional codecs can be downloaded for free, if needed.
4. Filehippo: Helps me keep my apps updated. The utility is small and quick.
5. DriverMax: Helps me keep my drivers updates. I am not sure about how it works, but I get some updated versions of drivers every now and then.
6. Windows Mobile Device Center: For syncing my Windows Mobile phone (an HTC Touch HD featuring a kwbr WM6.5 ROM)
7. Dropbox:  For keeping my precious working documents synced between my various computers. I currently managed to have 3GB of space there.
8. Sugarsync: For keeping my precious working documents, as the 3GB of Dropbox are not enough. I think I currently have 5GB of space in Sugarsync.
9. Irfanview: A great image viewing and editing app. It is small, light and has a comprehensive package of plugins.
10. Foxit Reader: A lightweight PDF reader with a lot of useful options (e.g. commenting, post-it notes etc.). I prefer it over the official Adobe Reader app (which is really chunky) but it seems to have issues when it comes to online forms and submitted forms.
11. Bullzip PDF printer: A great app that allows the conversion of almost all file types to PDF through the Print option.
12. CCleaner: Helps me keep my hard disk clean and free of temp files. You would be surprised by the amount of space allocated to temp files in your computer. It also clean the registry, by removing useless entries.
13. Skype: A must for communicating with colleagues and family. Even though I was an old and loyal MS Messenger user, it seems that almost everyone has migrated to Skype (Messenger has even dropped the option for video calls). Using Skype for internal office communication and online meetings with colleagues is really often.

Why I love using Public Means of Transportation…

despite the fact that they generally suck in Greece…because I get to see these sights that I could not depict while driving:

Drizzling outside Suburban station

 

08022012_Snow in Athens

It is really snowing!

08022012_Snowing in Athens… again!

It is really snowing again!

Fun for some of us but really tough for some others who are now homeless, due to the recent crisis…

Snow_08022012a.mp4
Watch on Posterous

Snow_08022012.mp4
Watch on Posterous

Lenovo A1 & USB OTG

Copied from Android Developers web page:

“When your Android-powered device is in USB host mode, it acts as the USB host, powers the bus, and enumerates connected USB devices. USB host mode is supported in Android 3.1 and higher.”

So this means that even if the Lenovo A1 has the native hardware support for USB Host mode, this cannot be used without an update of the Android version of A1 (currently 2.3.4). An upgrade to Honeycomb will be required before we can even test this feature…

On the other hand, this article also from Android Developers mentions that:

“Open Accessory is a new capability for integrating connected peripherals with applications running on the platform. The capability is based on a USB (Universal Serial Bus) stack built into the platform and an API exposed to applications. Peripherals that attach to Android-powered devices as accessories connect as USB hosts.

Open Accessory is introduced in Android 3.1 (API level 12), but is made available to devices running Android 2.3.4 by means of an optional external library, the Open Accessory Library. The library exposes a framework API that lets applications discover, communicate with, and manage a variety of device types connected over USB. It also provides the implementation of the API against parts of the Android platform that are not directly exposed to applications in Android 2.3.4.”

And

“Note: Support for USB host and accessory modes are ultimately dependant on the device’s hardware, regardless of platform level. You can filter for devices that support USB host and accessory through a <uses-feature> element. See the USB accessory and host documentation for more details.”

So this means that Android 2.3.4 supports USB host mode and it is up to the manufacturer to use the appropriate hardware in order for the tablet to feature the USB host mode. I wonder if Lenovo has opted for this…

But a few lines below, always in the same page:

“No USB host support — Android 2.3.4 and the Open Accessory Library do not support USB host mode (for example, through UsbDevice), although USB host mode is supported in Android 3.1. An Android-powered device running Android 2.3.4 can not function as a USB host. The library enables the Android-powered device to function as a peripheral only, with the connected accessory functioning as USB host (through UsbAccessory).

Confusing, isn’t it??

This review from Arpandeb.com mentions that A1 features USB OTG, but I do not know where this infomation comes from…

Information for a DIY USB OTG cable can be found in Chris Paget’s blog.

Information on how to enable USB OTG in a ZTE Blade can be found here.

01022012_Snowing in Athens, Greece

View from my office:

See the full gallery on Posterous

Πώληση – Skoda Fabia 1.2 TSI Elegance (2010)

(Ακολουθεί η αγγελία, για λογαριασμό καλού μου φίλου):

Πωλείται αυτοκίνητο Skoda Fabia 1.2 TSI Elegance (2010)

Κύρια Χαρακτηριστικά:

Υπερτροφοδοτούμενος κινητήρας 1.2 τεχνολογίας TSi με ισχύ 105 ίππους

Πλούσια έκδοση Elegance που περιλαμβάνει επιπλέον (των λοιπών εκδόσεων):
- ταπετσαρία Chess σε μπεζ χρώμα με ταμπλό σε μαύρο oxyx/μπεζ
- ενσωματωμένο υπολογιστή ταξιδιού
- σύστημα διζωνικού κλιματισμού Climatronic με αυτόματη ρύθμιση
- οθόνη πολλαπλών λειτουργιών Maxi DOT, όπου εμφανίζεται πλήθος
πληροφοριών (μέση κατανάλωση, υπολειπόμενη αυτονομία κ.λπ.)
- ρυθμιζόμενο υποβραχιόνιο ανάμεσα στα μπροστινά καθίσματα (τεμπέλης)
με χώρο αποθήκευσης
- ηλεκτρικά ρυθμιζόμενους εξωτερικούς καθρέφτες
- πίσω φώτα ανάγνωσης
- bluetooth
- ζάντες αλουμινίου

Extra:
- Γκρι Anthracite μεταλλικό χρώμα με λευκή οροφή (bicolore)
- Cruise Control
- Συναγερμός/Immobilizer
- Αισθητήρες παρκαρίσματος
- Διακοσμητικά καλύμματα μαρσπιέ θυρών

Ημερομηνία αγοράς: 07/2010
Χιλιόμετρα: ~19.000
Τιμή: 12.000 (συζητήσιμη)

Μπορείτε να δείτε φωτογραφίες του αυτοκινήτου εδώ:
https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/514396/1/fabia?h=45bce9

Επίσης, για περισσότερες πληροφορίες σχετικά το μοντέλο δείτε εδώ:
http://www.skoda-auto.com/grc/model/newfabia/look/Pages/look.aspx
Αν ενδιαφέρεστε επικοινωνήστε μαζί μου στο 6974460148 ή στο
savvas.makalias papaki gmail.com

Lenovo Ideapad A1 – Incompatible apps

(image taken from http://thesignalinthenoise.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/121)

A list of Android apps not compatible (for various reasons) with the Lenovo A1 tablet:

1. Opera Mini Web Browser
2. Posterous Spaces
3. QRDroid
4. FXCamera
5. Google+
6. ES File Explorer 1.6.1 update (1.6.0.4 is already installed!)
7. Dolphin Browser HD (Mini is compatible)
8. AirTickets.gr

It seems that other people started wondering about the same issue, but still I haven’t found any solid answer to the cause of this incompatibility.

Strange, huh? Can be installed in my cheap Android phone but not in A1… 

**EDIT – 06/02/2011**:  It seems that a large part of the incompatibility of A1 with Android apps was due to a strange combination of changed screen density to 200dpi (instead of the native 240dpi) and the new version of the Android Market. So, when I changed the screen density back to 240 dpi & uninstalled the Market update, I could install my long missed apps, like Opera Mini, Airtickets.gr, FXCamera, Google+ etc. The issue was solved by XDA user TippyTurtle, to whom I am grateful!

**EDIT – 21/02/2011**: I just installed Popsci and realized that it works both in 200 and in 240 dpi! Yay!

Apps still incompatible with Lenovo A1:

1. Quill (Requires Android 3.1)
2. Google Goggles
3. Handy Scanner Free PDF Creator

List will be frequently updated; please make sure that you come back soon and contribute to this list with your own incompatible Android apps!

 

** Last Update: 21/02/2012 **