little hand on the 8, big hand on the 9

Windows Mobile Network Analyzer PowerToy

Serge — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 12:26:00 +0000

After recently having purchased a Cingular 8125, I am finding it can do a lot of things better than my previous Siemens SX66 could. Today, I see the Windows Mobile Network Analyzer PowerToy at the Microsoft Download Center, and I wonder if anyone has played with it and is planning on posting screen shots of it. Currently, I am using Aspecto Software's WiFiFoFum to search for wireless networks and I wonder if I really need the Network Analyzer PowerToy.

Bloglines Publisher Tools

Serge — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 02:43:00 +0000

Claiming my blog

Sumocat's Scribbles: Build 52 is Go!

Serge — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 19:55:00 +0000

This looks like an impressive tool. I'm going to test it out. Sumocat's Scribbles: Build 52 is Go!

Google Toolbar

Serge — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 15:06:00 +0000

This morning I decided to go a little cutting edge and start testing the Beta Google Toolbar that is available. I have added several buttons that will add to the information available at my finger tips when using Google. We'll see how well it works over time. I'm hoping they add the ability to import Bookmarks (or Favorites in IE) shortly. That would give users the ability to maintain all their shortcuts across as many machines they use in the day, provided each machine had Google Toolbar installed.

Now, if only they would add Categories or Labels to Blogger...

Blogger Help : What is BlogThis! ?

Serge — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 19:16:00 +0000

Using BlogThis! from the Google Toolbar yields a new, much more capable blog editor.

Blogger Help : What is BlogThis! ?

By the way... Happy New Year!

My name on TV

Serge — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 02:29:00 +0000

Call me vain, but I'm a sucker for things with my name. I own a Sandisk Cruzer Titanium (my last name is Cruz); I own a Braun cruZer3 electric shaver (Cruz again); my first name is in a song by Jane's Addiction titled Jane Says. The song is now being used by Jack Daniel's for a TV commercial. The last word in the commercial is my name -- Sergio.

Power in your pocket

Serge — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 12:31:00 +0000

The Xpower Pocket Powerpack reviewed at Gizmodo is an interesting gadget. Due to Hurricane Wilma, I was without power for 10 days at home. This charger/inverter would have helped a lot. With something like this in my bag, I can charge my gear on the go without having to plug it in.

Writeboard collaborative document editor and Internet-based apps

Serge — Mon, 03 Oct 2005 17:02:00 +0000

While reading Lifehacker this afternoon, I came across their post about Writeboard -- a collaborative document editor that grabbed my attention. It's a collaborative document editor that can be useful when multiple people, separated by distance, need to work on something together. I began reading about the various other web-apps that 37 Signals also produces, which in turn made me think of all the Internet-based "software" that I use.

I can check various email accounts; I can read RSS; I can gain remote access to other systems; I can create blog postings; I can play games and all without anything more than Internet Explorer -- a web browser. Is there anything that can't be done using a web-based app today?

I had a TC1000 which I loaded with free applications (i.e. Open Office, AVG Antivirus, etc.), and everything worked well. I may have to experiment with a PC with only free web-based apps. The three requirements necessary: an operating system, a web browser, and an Internet connection. How functional would that PC be? Could I do everything I need to do on a daily basis with that PC?

Tags: new, tools, commentary

i-mate K-JAM

Serge — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 12:01:00 +0000

While I like the HTC Universal, also branded by i-Mate as the Jasjar, Cingular is more likely to carry this model because it is quad-band. The i-mate K-JAM looks like a winner in Size and functionality. One thing that was done right design-wise is when the keyboard slides out, the screen rotates similar to how Tablet PCs work. With all the new models that are about to be released, I'll likely wait until Christmas to decide on a replacement for my SX66.

Tags: PocketPC, phone

Carry your PC on a U3 USB Key

Serge — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 02:33:00 +0000

The U3 USB Key becomes you personal data center over at ubergizmo talks about some neat new technology that's headed our way. U3 gives you a platform to run apps from your USB thumb drive; you can use those apps to sync data and remain in stealth mode on public machines. I've been using my Sandisk Cruzer Titanium to sync data for a while, but having the U3 platform would enhance that experience by adding a slick interface to multiple apps I can install on my Cruzer. Now, we need larger USB thumb drives (or smaller apps).

Tags: new, software, tools, security

Small tools that are Smartronix

Serge — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 02:02:00 +0000

PC Magazine is reviewing these two jack/plug adapters that are a must for any net admin's toolkit. I plan on getting a pair ASAP, which means I won't need to carry around my cable tester or crossover cable everywhere I go.

Tags: tools, gadget

How to send SMS via e-mail

Serge — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 01:51:00 +0000

Lifehacker posted the list of SMS e-mail addresses for the larger US carriers. One thing I will note is that I had to register with Cingular before I could receive emails via SMS. I don't know if that's true of the other carriers.

Tags: email

New feed reader for Outlook

Serge — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 19:26:00 +0000

Scoble posts about Attensa -- an Outlook RSS aggregator and del.icio.us tagger. You can also use it to create blog posts for several popular blog sites. I'm not sure I like the posting features or method yet, but the ability to generate tags is cool.

Tags: new, software, tags, del.icio.us

Living room remote redux or Why I still read magazines

Serge — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 11:09:00 +0000

Most of my magazine subscriptions arrive digitally via Zinio. Early this year I started receiving Sync magazine, a gadget lovers guide to cool gear. In reading the latest issue, I came across what may be my living room remote solution -- the Philips RC9800i. Not only does it control my stereo equipment (infrared), but it also has WiFi for controlling PC content. And, you can actually view content on its screen. How's that for a living room remote?

Tags: new, home, gadget

Windows Vista and audio

Serge — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 17:37:00 +0000

Because I have ripped every CD I own and plan on adding a media center PC to my living room, the Channel 9 video with Steve Ball - Learning about Audio in Windows Vista seemed like something interesting to watch. A lot of new development has gone into the audio system in Windows Vista to make performance and fidelity improvements that end-users will notice. the demos early on in the video clearly illustrate the advances that have been made.

Tags: new, software, Vista, video

New OpenOffice release

Serge — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 15:46:00 +0000

I used version 1.1.1 on my old TC1000 and it worked very well. It's nice to have a free Office alternative for a computer where you won't use Office often. Read more here: Slashdot OpenOffice 1.1.5 Released.

Tags: new, software

I feel a rant coming on...

Serge — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 00:18:00 +0000

Yesterday was a Hurricane Rita day for us here in Miami. No major storm damage and no work. So, where's the rant?

I had been unable to VPN into the office for a couple of weeks, so I thought I would experiment with the connection since no one was at the office. It's a pretty standard setup: SBS 2000 server with RRAS, 2 NICs and ISA; a Netopia 3346w from BellSouth with a DSL connection and 5 static IPs on the office end; and a D-Link DI-624 router connected to a Westell 6100 DSL router from BellSouth in bridged mode on the other.

The problem began about 2 weeks ago; before that, the VPN connections worked like butter. I was now getting an error 721 when attempting to establish a VPN connection. What had changed?

For starters, I had upgraded the firmware on the Netopia. No harm done there, right? Now, I wasn't so sure. I had also disabled a couple of ISA access policies that were not necessary -- nothing related to VPN. After searching the web, the problem seemed to be related to the GRE protocol 47 not being passed through the routers in one or both directions. The log files did not contain any error messages; the only solution I could find was to adjust the WAN NIC's MTU setting, which I tried, but did not work. Time to focus on the other side.

I had also upgraded the D-Link firmware. The new firmware added WPA2 and did not work any worse than the previous firmware, or so it seemed. I had not changed anything on my laptop, so my focus had to be the D-Link. Did WPA2 break VPN? Was the PPTP passthrough enabled? Did the inaccurate time on the router play a role? After checking everything I could think of, I downgraded the firmware and sure enough the VPN started working again. The time was also synchronizing again. Everything was back to square one on my end.

D-Link caused me all the headaches I encountered (or at least my trusting in their newest, non-beta firmware). Why do software vendors think they can release software that has bugs and not call it beta? Did D-Link do sufficient due diligence when testing this software? No.

Newsflash to D-Link: your 2.70 firmware for the DI-624 does not do PPTP passthrough correctly. Fix it or you will lose customers.

Tags: commentary, troubleshooting

The video iPod?

Serge — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 11:00:00 +0000

The AMEX RSS feeds I receive were updated today, and this product was on the listing: RedEnvelope - macvision multimedia player. The description does not go into much detail, and it is only available in black now, but it sure looks nice. I've never seen or heard of this model. Where has it been hiding?

Tags: iPod, video

Renewed my Norton

Serge — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 20:12:00 +0000

After reviewing the numerous reviews at PC World, PC Mag and CNET, and looking at ICSA Labs, I decided that renewing my Norton 2005 subscription on my TC4200 was my best bet. At $34.95, it was on a par with some other antivirus vendors' products.

I'm using AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition on my desktop, but I've noticed a virus or two get through on some of my clients' computers.

What else is worth my money? At least Norton is ICSA certified for removal and detecttion.

Tags: antivirus, software

I remember seeing this...

Serge — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 14:16:00 +0000

Ars technica has an article about Apple filing for patent on a notebook with digital camera integrated into the latch. They mention Asus having a similar feature, and I remember Sony having a sub-notebook with a camera where the latch would be also. Apple seems to think the innovation is in integrating the camera and the latch.

Show me a laptop with a camera integrated behind the screen -- that's innovation!

Tags: Apple, camera, new

Microsoft Office 12 is truly amazing

Serge — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 20:31:00 +0000

Check out this Channel 9 video with Julie Larson-Green - Diving into the new Office 12. I was amazed by the radical, yet intuitive, changes they made. Not only does it look like it will be easier to use, but it should increase user productivity too. Microsoft's Office UI team is truly innovating with this new product launch. This almost makes up for the last several versions of Office that were so similar (2000, XP & 2003).

Tags: software, new

Mobilize!

Serge — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 18:38:00 +0000

Pocket PC Thoughts points to an interesting service (if you can call it that) for PDAs and web sites without mobile-enhanced pages. I tested the service with my site and it produced relatively good results.

Tags: PocketPC

Living room remote (reprise) -- WebGuide 3

Serge — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 15:37:00 +0000

As you can see from my previous 2 posts on this subject, I have been giving this a lot of thought lately. James is posting about WebGuide 3- use any PC as a remote for your Media Center, which allows you to use any PC or Pocket PC or smartphone to control your media center PC. Best of all, it's free! Once I get a media center PC, I'll have to check this software out.

Tags: software

Microsoft and software security

Serge — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 18:11:00 +0000

Brent Hill and Roger Grimes - Chatting about IIS 7's security Channel 9 video taped by Robert Scoble discussing the security of Microsoft's 2003 server, IE and IIS. With all the latest software and patches, Microsoft has a secure product. However, if you don't patch, and you don't know what you're doing, you won't be secure. With the consulting work I do, I see misconfigured systems all the time. I think more critics should point out the virtues of patching and upgrading to the latest version rather than put down all the old software and vulnerabilities that still exist out there.

Tags: security, software, commentary

Touch screen tablets

Serge — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 11:46:00 +0000

One vivid memory I have of the Microsoft Tablet PC launch I attended several years ago was the (then) Compaq rep explaining that you could rest your hand on the screen and it would not interfere with data input. Coming from Pocket PC world, where that was a no-no, I was quite impressed. I'm not sure that a touchscreen is good for handwriting recognition, but I think it will boost sales. The pen takes some getting used to; poking icons with your finger is a no-brainer. I hope this is one step forward for Tablet PC and not two steps back. jkOnTheRun: Hello touchscreen.

Tags: TabletPC