Geek Factor

Chrome is Good, but how about some Iron?

June 28th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink

Iron is a browser based on Chromium code base. Iron uses the latest of webkit and ensures that some of the privacy issues associated with Google Chrome are not present. It uses the same user interface as Google Chrome so you will feel at home if you are already an user of Chrome.

Iron is a great alternative to Firefox Portable

I stumbled upon Iron when I was searching for an alternative for Firefox Portable. While Firefox portable is great to carry on a pen drive, it is excruciatingly slow because of its continuous flash drive access. Iron developers Srware also provide a portable edition of Iron, which in my experience is miles ahead of Firefox Portable in terms of speed.

The following comparison is taken from Srware website to show how Iron is different from Google Chrome in terms of privacy:

Problem	Chrome	Iron
Client-ID	Chrome creates a unique ID through which a user can be theoretically identified.	Not Present
Timestamp	Chrome remembers up to the second exactly when the software was installed.	Not Present
Suggest	Depending on the configuration, each time you put something in the address line,this information is sent to Google to provide suggestions.	Not Present
Alternate Error pages	Depending on the configuration, if you have typed a false address in the adress bar, this is sent to Google and you get an error message from Google’s servers.	Not Present
Error Reporting	Depending on the configuration, details about crashes or failures are sent Google’s servers.	Not Present
RL-Z Tracking	This Chrome-function transmits information in encoded form to Google, for example, when and where Chrome has been downloaded.	Not Present
Google Updater	Chrome installs a updater, which loads at every Windows in background.	Not Present
URL-Tracker	Calls depending on the configuration five seconds after launch the Google homepage opens in background	Not Present

Some of the above are not some alarming issues, but still a little bit of additionally privacy is always better. Iron is highly recommended as a browser for a portable USB drive. You can also use Iron in case administrator rights issues do not allow you to install alternative web browsers at school or at work.

Amazon Kindle Tip 1: Which PDF Converter is the Best?

June 26th, 2009 § 6 comments § permalink

Unlike the Kindle DX, the Kindle 2 cannot read native documents like PDF or Word. But this is also a blessing in disguise because you can convert your personal documents to Kindle format and then take plenty of notes on them or create bookmarks to your heart’s content. Native PDF support on the Kindle DX does not support note taking and text zooming, which are missing features that I consider as a major drawback.

If you are on PC, you can use the MobiPocket Creator for converting your PDFs to Kindle format. Mac users can use an application called Stanza.

While the above two tools do a good job, they have one major drawback. They covert the documents with Header and Footer text intact, which means you will find lot of junk thrown all over your document. These headers and footers will appear in random places since the page size on a Kindle will differ from the page size of the PDF document (Typically A4 or Letter). This reduces the readability of the document dramatically.

The solution? Use Amazon’s conversion itself. It costs a little bit of money (at 10 cents per document), but it is really worth it since it does an intelligent conversion by stripping off headers/footers and also the images do appear in correct places unlike the desktop converters. You can also get the same service free by emailing the document to your kindle address with a ‘free’ prefix, in which case, the document is returned to your email address from where you have to copy to your Kindle 2 device manually. This email address is <yourkindleemail>@free.kindle.com.

If anyone knows a desktop converter (Mac or PC) which can strip off headers and footers from office or PDF documents, please leave a comment below. Thanks!

Netbook buying tips – Do read this before clicking that “Add to Cart” button

June 25th, 2009 § 3 comments § permalink

I have been using a 9” Acer aspire one for a while now. I use it for almost everything – from browsing the web to Skype video calling and occasionally for word processing too. The netbooks are wonderful for certain tasks and a pain in the back for many other. If you are planning to buy a netbook, please keep the following in mind – you will be glad that you read this post.

Its not your primary computer

This is the most important thing to remember. A netbook with its puny processing power can never replace a fully powered desktop or laptop. You will feel this very often. If you are a college student, banish the thought of using the netbook as a primary computer. Keep an iMac at your dorm and then carry a netbook to class. The netbook excels if you are using it only for emails and web browsing. When you use it for anything other than this, it shows its shortcomings. Typical netbooks have a resolution of 1280×600 which is incompatible with many websites, so you will have a lot of trouble with webmail sites. Yahoo’s new interface is downright unusable and the gmail’s mail composer keeps jumping up and down. Text entry is associated with lot of vertical scrolling. Be prepared for this. On the other hand, Office 2007 works brilliantly even though the ribbon occupies a significant amount of screen real estate. If you are a Gmail user with a low resolution netbook, configure Gmail on Outlook or Thunderbird.

The sweet spot for a netbook screen size is 10”. Don’t buy anything less than that. Also check for the screen resolution. Many 10” netbooks still come with 1280×600 resolution – stay away from them. Make sure that it has atleast 1280×720 pixels. My dream netbook will have a 12” screen. (Hint: A best netbook to consider in this regard is the new Lenovo IdeaPad S12.)

Multimedia sucks

Plain and simple. Keep all the media files except perhaps your MP3 files away from the netbook. Don’t even think of HD on a netbook with Intel graphics.

But hold on a second. A big relief are the new batch of netbooks that are coming with NVIDIA Ion chipsets. They are capable of smooth 1080p HD playback and can play any type of media files with ease. You will have no regrets in the media department if you get a netbook with Ion. Most graphics work is offloaded to the GPU, so your Atom processor is free to do your main tasks.

The Keyboards are a Pain

Yes, this is another major pain area of the netbooks. It is not possible to incorporate a full size keyboard in netbooks because of obvious reasons, so don’t carry them to a typing competition. A 12” netbook can be a savior if you plan to churn out plenty of docs from your tiny laptop.

Battery Life Rocks

This is where netbooks excel. Though last year’s models are not known to be so good in terms of battery life, the new ones come with clever battery design which helps in incorporating a bigger battery and correspondingly a much longer battery life – 7 hours is common on many new ultra portables.

Get one with at least a 6 cell battery and you will have juice for all day without searching for a power point.

Get Windows XP or Windows 7

I am sorry to say this – but please stay away from Linux on your netbook. You can dual boot with Linux if you need it, but don’t try to save that 50 dollars. You need Windows XP on your netbook. Period. (Hint: To save money, get a Linux laptop and then install Windows 7 RC on that. It just rocks and you can use it for a while before you need to get the final copy off the shelf. Stay away from Vista. It just doesn’t run so well on a netbook)

Nerds please excuse the above tip. I have a special post coming for you on the best Linux distros for netbooks. (Hint: A certain African distribution still rocks)

In summary

Get a netbook with:

Resolution of 1280×720 or above
11 to 12 inch screen size
NVIDIA Ion if you want good media capabilities
6 Cell battery or more
Windows XP (or 7)

Get one which satisfies the above requirements and you should be happy for the next 2 years and 15 days.

Slow Internet Connection? Try Opera 10

June 24th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink

Among the bundle of new features in Opera 10, one particular addition stands out. The ability to compress the data traffic and make your browsing experience much better on a slow internet connection. I had a chance to experience this first hand in a hotel where I was staying. The advertised “High Speed Wireless connection” used to come to a stand still during day times and I had no other option but to go elsewhere to continue working. Then I stumbled upon Opera 10.

When you enable the Turbo mode in Opera 10, it uses a proxy where all your browser requests are sent. The proxy downloads the web pages on your behalf, compresses them and sends it to your browser. Since the size of compressed data is much smaller, you get a better browsing speed. It also detects your current connection speed and increases or decreases the amount of compression accordingly. Some image quality is lost as the jpegs are re-encoded in order to reduce the size but then again it depends on your connection speed. Once you switch back to a faster connection, Opera reminds you to turn the Turbo mode off!

It appears like Opera are using the same proxy infrastructure that they are utilizing for the Opera Mini browser – which is very popular product on Java enabled handsets that do not have or have a poor quality web browser. Take Opera 10 for a spin – the other features apart from the “Turbo” are also worth having a good look at.

My New Kindle

June 23rd, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink

Kindle is one gadget I always wanted to buy. The Kindle 2 is slick and I liked it ever since it was released. I recently ordered it on Amazon and it arrived over the weekend. Here are some pictures. Expect a detailed review and plenty of tips in the coming days! Excuse the picture quality – taken using a first gen iPhone, which is the only camera I have right now.

The first book I purchased is Susan Jane Gilman’s Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven – a wonderful travelogue on China! This is one book you should not miss if you like reading about China and its people.

Palm’s iTunes Gamble

May 30th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink

Now that the iTunes store is DRM free, any device vendor can dream about doing a “full sync” with iTunes on the Mac or the PC. Palm is the first to take the bold step of doing that. As we can see from the screenshots that were published by Palm, the Pre is getting detected as an iPod – which means it is fooling iTunes into believing that it is syncing with an iPod.

The Palm Pre

This may open a gamut of third party official and unofficial applications trying to do the same for other devices. Apple may not like this and chose to shut down the third party ‘fake iPods’ from syncing with iTunes in a future version. The cat and mouse game will start and it will be fun watching devices losing support and then gaining again after every iTunes update!

Instead of shutting down these ‘fake iPods/iPhones’ Apple can also chose to licence iTunes with something in the line of “Works with iTunes” certification, which can dramatically increase the iTunes music sales.

Project Pink: Microsoft’s second big gamble ?

May 13th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink

When Microsoft introduced the Zune, it earned the wrath of many of its ‘PlaysForSure’ OEM partners. PlaysForSure is a Microsoft certification which, among other things, dictates a standard for DRM and the synchronization of media files for MP3s, PMPs and other portable devices. Microsoft Zune does not use this technology and opted for another propreitary one. This ensured that content purchased or rented for Zune cannot be played on PlaysForSure devices and vice versa. Needless to say, device manufacturers like Creative, Sandisk etc., didn’t like the idea of Microsoft suddenly becoming their competitor.

PlaysForSure

Rumors are floating on the net about a new project from MS called the “Pink”. There are many speculations on what this Pink actually is – while some say it is a “Zune Phone” there are also indications that it is simply the Zune services being made available on Windows Mobile. An MS tweet asking users to hold on their iPhone or Palm pre purchase till June is throwing open this speculation even more. If it is any sort of phone with a Microsoft branding on it, then it is nothing but a recipe for disaster.

Today, Microsoft’s huge market share in the smartphone business is because of the effoerts of its OEMs like HTC, Samsung and several network operators who have released several sleek and trendy devices. Building their own branded phone with a propreitary operating system based on the Zune platform is not the most pleasing thing that MS can do to its partners. They all have a equally powerful weapon with the Android platform and MS can see its market share dwindling if they switch to Android.

We hope that MS will not take such a drastic step and strain the relationship with OEMs – who are already not happy with the heavily outdated OS in Windows Mobile 6.1 and even the upcoming 6.5.

Will ARM based netbooks succeed?

April 28th, 2009 § 0 comments § permalink

A netbook for Lenovo

There is little doubt that netbooks based on Intel Atom Processor have taken the PC World by storm. Their tiny size and decent functionality have made it quite popular among students and travelling professionals. Most of the basic computing needs like word processing, internet browsing, instant messaging, voip and media playback could be comfortably done on a netbook.

In the last few weeks or so, there is some hype surrounding Netbook 2.0 which are nothing but tiny laptops based on ARM processors like the Qualcomm Snapdragon. Since ARM processors are designed to work on embedded devices and mobile phones, they consume very little power when compared to Intel x86 processors. This results in a much longer battery life than the current crop of netbooks. Snapdragon processor is now available at a frequency of 1GHz, which is a first for any processor using the ARM architecture. Because of the performance and long battery life, most technology sites are predicting that ARM based netbooks will take over the world and could pose a serious threat to CPU manufacturers like Intel and AMD on the netbook front.

Give me Windows please

While everything else seems right, there is a serious problem with ARM based netbooks. Currently, the only desktop OS that is available for ARM is Linux. While Linux is great for geeks, common man on the street still prefers Windows. I have been using Linux for several years and I am happy to see that the usability of Unix desktop environments like Gnome and KDE are growing by leaps and bounds. But the unforunate fact is that most people learn their computers with Windows and they grow up using Windows. Using Linux means switching to a new environment and a new set of applications like OpenOffice etc., Many start using these for a few days and then end up installing Windows.

Microsoft has not ported Windows to ARM and neither will they in the future. This means all ARM based netbooks will either run Linux or a tweaked version of Android OS. Considering that netbooks with Windows outsell those with Linux by a ratio of 9:1, it will be a tall order for “Netbooks 2.0″ to set the laptop market on fire. We can expect Intel or AMD based netbooks to rule the market for a long time to come.

HTC G1, the Android Phone, soon in India!

November 25th, 2008 § 1 comment § permalink

Its heartening to see that India is becoming a hot destination for smartphones. Most new smartphones like Nokia N96, Sony Ericsson XPeria X1 were launched in India before any other country. To add to this list, HTC G1 will be soon launched at a sweet price of Rs 25000, which is about USD 500. As of now, HTC has not published anything related to this launch on their website, but many retailers have been intimated that they will be receiving their stocks of G1 in early December. The pricing and HTC’s strategy to sell unlocked G1s without any operator tie up could mean much better sales than that of the Apple iPhone.

HTC G1

As a confirmation, you can see that the recently redesigned Univercell.in website shows the G1 as “coming soon” for a price of 25k INR. So fasten your seat belts and get ready for some serious Android action.

Update: 26 Nov 2008: Hmmm, may be I spoke a little too soon. This report from The Economic Times says that the launch of HTC G1 is now postponed to a future date which is not decided.

Product Updates: Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition now shipping

November 23rd, 2008 § 0 comments § permalink

Now that WiMAX is slowly getting deployed in the United States, devices have also started making their appearance. One of the most awaited devices this holiday season is the Nokia N810 WiMAX edition. Amazon now has this in store and ready to ship. Note that the specifications of the WiMAX edition is almost the same with the original N810, except for the inclusion of the additional WiMAX radio.

In case you are wondering, even though the iPod Touch has closed some of the gaps with the Nokia N810, N810 is still the best portable computing device which also doubles up as a multimedia powerhouse. I have also updated the post which compares the performance between these two, along with the Sony Mylo.