tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63673741592498843062024-03-14T00:11:19.052-07:00Doctor Braun's BlogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471669689064260693noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-18516908007196151712015-07-17T10:40:00.002-07:002015-07-17T10:45:46.836-07:00Indiegogo and Other Crowd-Funding "Scampaigns"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4Vlr1OkyWlu0Bn_IuT1ivK2vJD8xIMXZplZ9JPQbK12evGWN8KbJi0AQgRnXIqy8XguV4fLL9L3jWnes_mT2Cc_hesfiAeoiXpZyGnq8vav6Nzxo6Ql4RIpvG37_oC2zlmFVjBFZ5EY/s1600/blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4Vlr1OkyWlu0Bn_IuT1ivK2vJD8xIMXZplZ9JPQbK12evGWN8KbJi0AQgRnXIqy8XguV4fLL9L3jWnes_mT2Cc_hesfiAeoiXpZyGnq8vav6Nzxo6Ql4RIpvG37_oC2zlmFVjBFZ5EY/s400/blog.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Crowd-Funding</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lately there has been much interest in a new method of funding projects known as "crowd-funding". This model allows people (known as "backers") from all walks of life to participate in bringing an idea to reality, usually by contributing some money towards a project for which the "creator" is asking to be funded.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are a number of problems with this model that are damaging the future of crowd-funding, spoiling this model for legitimate honest people who wish to play by the rules.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Prevalence of Scams</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many "too-good-to-be-true" devices are being promoted. While KickStarter (KS) has some rules stating that at least a working prototype should be available, Indiegogo (IGG) has no such limitation. The site features computer 3D renders of amazing products that have no basis in reality. They may be possible in 20 to 30 years, using Star-Trek-like technology, but not today. Even Apple, one of the world's richest companies with brilliant engineers and cutting-edge technologies at their fingertips cannot do what these crowd-funding creators wish to create, and no amount of money thrown at the project will change that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are various questionable campaigns from the start, which have successfully been funded with a combined take-in of millions of dollars, with NOTHING to show for it.... And this is just a drop in the bucket! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Nano-Plug - Hearing aid:</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://images.indiegogo.com/file_attachments/782024/files/20140812021332-logozapocrtak.jpg?1407834812" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://images.indiegogo.com/file_attachments/782024/files/20140812021332-logozapocrtak.jpg?1407834812" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/nanoplug-the-world-s-first-invisible-hearing-aid#/story" target="_blank">Indiegogo NanoPlug Campaign</a> - </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>$249,094 USD</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://res.cloudinary.com/indiegogo-media-prod-cld/image/upload/c_limit,w_620/v1433878143/w1paafu0axcfjzkpyric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://res.cloudinary.com/indiegogo-media-prod-cld/image/upload/c_limit,w_620/v1433878143/w1paafu0axcfjzkpyric.jpg" height="122" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/airing-the-first-hoseless-maskless-micro-cpap#/story" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Indiegogo Airing Campaign</a> - <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>$928,494 USD (and up)</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Smarty Ring - Notification ring:</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://images.indiegogo.com/file_attachments/189634/files/20131111073120-green.jpg?1384183880" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://images.indiegogo.com/file_attachments/189634/files/20131111073120-green.jpg?1384183880" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/smarty-ring--3#/story" target="_blank">Indiegogo Smarty Ring Campaign</a> -<b> $297,999 USD</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ritot - Projection Watch:</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://images.indiegogo.com/file_attachments/560171/files/20140506025458-allsmall.jpg?1399370098" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://images.indiegogo.com/file_attachments/560171/files/20140506025458-allsmall.jpg?1399370098" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ritot-the-first-projection-watch#/story" target="_blank">Indiegogo Ritot Projection Watch Campaign</a> - <b>$1,672,314 USD</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Just a small sample of MANY MANY scams...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Categorizing Scams</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is my way to rate various scams that I have seen. It is based on whether a product never gets delivered ("fund and run"), whether it appears to function as stated but a complete sham scientifically ("snake-oil"), if it is just a repackage of an existing product but at much higher costs and trying to pass as a new product ("rip-off") and something that promises almost impossible performance and eventually gets delivered but with nowhere the same function or appearance ("star trek"). </span></div>
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<li><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Category 1 ("snake-oil"): </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dodgy devices that look and function as stated, but have no reputable scientific proof that they really work. <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Example: NEO Neurophone</span></b></span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Category 2 ("fund and run"):</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Devices that are possible with today's technology and seem deliverable, yet never get to backers. <span style="color: #cc0000; font-weight: bold;">Example: ZambiLight</span></span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Category 3 ("rip-off"): </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Products that already exist, mostly cheap Chinese technology that is "repackaged" or designed to look like a new device and sold at a huge markup. <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Examples: </span></b></span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Orsto 2 Smart Watch, Light Phone</span></b></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Category 4 ("star trek"): </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Product impossible to create as shown, with no intention of ever being able to deliver anything close to what is being promised. Backers do not receive their "perk" at all, or if they do it is a joke. <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Examples: Airing, NanoPlug, </span></b></span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Smarty Ring, Ritot Projection Watch</span></b></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are many other examples, but too exhaustive to find and list here. However, doing a search will reveal more and more undeliverable scams that fall into any of these 4 categories, and I'm sure additional categories can be formed as future scampaigns develop. There is also the "bait and switch" which can be combined with any of these categories to appease backers so they have something delivered but far inferior and a misrepresentation of what they originally intended to fund and receive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>In Conclusion</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Indiegogo campaigns have no way of delivering what people were sold, backers get angry. However after a while, one by one backers move on with their lives and learn a hard lesson from crowd-funding and probably never trust it again. On the other hand, scammers have learned to use the site to fund their retirement. Some of the largest scams, raking in MILLIONS essentially provide these criminals a lifetime jackpot. And they will do it again and again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crowd-funding sites, intermediaries, financial institutions handling the money, and especially creators must be made more accountable. We cannot let the "free market" decide, because TIME AND TIME AGAIN has proven that more and more people are going to be scammed. These are not the same people.... Once bitten twice shy they say. It is NEW people who just heard of crowd-funding and never were scammed before. By the time the influx of new people diminishes, it could be years and years of successful scamming and criminals (who could be associated with terrorist groups or organized crime rings) using crowd-funding to raise money to fund terrorism or as a way to launder money.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">BEWARE CROWD-FUNDING!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-62318706464954002962014-01-24T09:51:00.000-08:002014-01-24T09:54:19.290-08:00Internet Of Things <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_PUNh7Y_nhpdH9p00rN7yfXnL5ENdM889WkWIlGsiG188xF4ve2SQekmV2h7l0IdHUariwfnSOtpU5L52v4Cvh4RzplCaFeZFAjt-X2qLYbyvT20l4O9N6kzDxrZUAG0W_6kVsaVlPI/s1600/Internet-of-Things.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_PUNh7Y_nhpdH9p00rN7yfXnL5ENdM889WkWIlGsiG188xF4ve2SQekmV2h7l0IdHUariwfnSOtpU5L52v4Cvh4RzplCaFeZFAjt-X2qLYbyvT20l4O9N6kzDxrZUAG0W_6kVsaVlPI/s1600/Internet-of-Things.png" /></a></div>
The latest rage at CES 2014 was the "Internet of Things", a term used to describe the connectivity between traditionally non-computing devices such as home appliances, entertainment systems, monitoring hardware, vehicles and various other items in your home. The pervasiveness of home Wi-Fi and cheap and small chipsets, along with innovative new ideas from the manufacturers on value-added functionality, has driven forth a whole new wave of Wi-Fi enabled devices that communicate with each other, with your phone app, and cloud-based services to help you use and manage them.<br />
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Just imagine a future where your refrigerator talks to your scale when you are over-weight, which in turn talks to your fitness watchband and your treadmill, along with your alarm clock and toothbrush, to figure out how to schedule the best time for exercise and eating correctly. Your coffee machine turns on in the morning based on your alarm clock setting, which in turn also ensures you don't forget to brush. Your "smart-fork" reminds you on how to eat properly and for how long. Perhaps it suggests to your car when you are using the GPS to look for fast-food restaurants that you may want to think about a healthier alternative, while your refrigerator orders healthy alternatives from a local grocery store. Meanwhile, your smartphone processes all this data and schedules time for exercise, reminds you of your healthy-habit goals and warns you when your metrics are not up to par. The data is also sent to your doctor who monitors your health and also monitors whether you are taking your medications correctly, which also have Wi-Fi enabled modules built into their lids. And your dentist knows exactly how long you brush and when you smoke.<br />
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Sounds absurd, doesn't it? But all this is possible with the "Internet of Things". How this technology will be used exactly is still awaiting to be seen, but with more and more devices latching into the cloud, your data will be even more transparent to the countless corporations making these devices. The data will be used to improve products, but also to establish a pattern on how you use them and I am sure it will be used for targeted marketing campaigns. The granularity of your data cloud revolving around your own individual lifestyle movements and life-patterns will be used to greater potential to manipulate your choices, for better or for worst!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471669689064260693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-79659169281086659132014-01-20T15:18:00.001-08:002014-01-20T15:20:56.534-08:00iPhone 5 Nano SIM Adapter Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I like to switch often between my devices depending on my daily mood and for testing apps (iPhone and BlackBerry). How can you do this on different phones which may have completely different SIM card slots? A SIM Card Adapter lets you easily use the same SIM card in all your devices. The secret is to ask your carrier for the smallest SIM card available, the nano SIM for the iPhone 5! Then use the adapters to convert up the size for mini, micro and regular SIM sizes when needed! I purchased the adapter from eBay store in Hong Kong for $1.00 US, with free shipping. That is ridiculous, considering the shipping alone from Kong Kong to Canada has to be most of that cost.<br />
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Some people have reported breaking their phones using adapters, and so the video here shows you how to avoid it. Namely, do NOT make the same mistake of inserting a SIM Card Adapter into your phone without a SIM in it. This will result in snagging your gold pins in the slot when you try to remove the adapter.<br />
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If you already made the mistake, and found your way to this blog without breaking your phone, it's not too late! Try this! Some adapters have a clear plastic membrane on one side to hold the SIM card so it doesn't fall out, while others just have an open window. If your adapter is open in the middle (no clear plastic membrane) you may be able to slide it out slightly and slip your smaller SIM card into the middle of the adapter and free it up that way. Alternatively, you can try to push down the first group of 3 gold pins using a needle, slip your card out a bit and repeat on the second group of 3 gold pins.<br />
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If your SIM adapter has a clear membrane, you won't be able to slip the smaller SIM card into it. You will have to pierce through the thin clear plastic membrane on your SIM adapter (which ruins it) but at least it saves your phone. Push the gold pins in carefully while pulling on the adapter gently to bypass the first group of 3 gold pins, then repeat for the second group of 3 gold pins. Do not force the adapter out or you will rip your pins and render your device useless! Then you can either tear off the clear plastic membrane and use the adapter like an adapter without the window!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471669689064260693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-11238873298402562272014-01-14T10:54:00.003-08:002014-01-14T19:38:50.153-08:00iPhone 5c versus BlackBerry Z10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been carrying both an iPhone 5c and BlackBerry Z10 for the past month and getting to use both of them extensively! One of the fringe benefits of being a mobile app developer is that you are often given free phones either as promotional incentives to develop apps or answer developer surveys, of which I do both. Having had real-world experience on both phones for some time, I can give a more informed opinion on each phone's strengths and weaknesses. This experience has been enlightening and I encourage all "fanbois" to try the same.<br />
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While most users can paint an honest picture of their phone of choice, their impression of a competitor's phone is often biased by the person's personal preference, past experience on a platform and unwillingness to change or try something new. If you are a loyal iPhone user, or BlackBerry user, sure you can write a great review on your own phone features (iOS 7 or BB10). But to try and compare to another platform without having actually used the latest version extensively is simply passing on "hearsay" and false biased opinions.<br />
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iPhone 5c (iOS 7)</h3>
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This is a nice phone, even being in a plastic case and having a slower processor than the 5s. Personally if I had the choice, I would spend the extra few bucks on a 5s. I don't see why anyone would want to buy a 5c compared to a 5s unless they absolutely had to have a color (which a case can easily duplicate), or if the price difference was significant. Obviously I am not the only one, as Apple's own sales figures have concluded the same. Users just didn't feel the price difference was sufficient to justify a 5c versus a 5s. But we are comparing to a Z10 here, so let's get with it!</div>
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I found the battery life was excellent on the iPhone. Camera is good but not perfect, as I had considerably more red-eyes with the iPhone than I did with the Z10. Keep in mind, there is a red-eye removal tool, but this may be due to the close proximity of the flash and camera. Once you get into the settings on the iPhone camera, you can actually improve your photo-taking considerably, but the stock initial camera screen that most people use will take decent pictures. </div>
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There is no doubt the hardware is blazing fast on the iPhone 5c, even though it is slower than the 5s. Games performed very well. I did have a few buggy apps which would appear to choke the system, but overall it is a smooth experience. The iPhone shines in the app department, it has a huge ecosystem. Couple that with iTunes and Podcast support, and it is built for media-consumption. While that is a big strength, it can also be a big weakness. For people who are used to manipulating data and media as needed, outside the "walled garden", it can become a challenge. There are ways to do it, even without jail-breaking the phone, but the average user will not be able to do it. </div>
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Apps on the iPhone are gigantic, and I found that with a 16gb model I was running out of space constantly. The media-centric focus of the iPhone really requires way more space. I like having Apple's apps on the phone (iMovie, Keynote, Pages, Numbers, etc.) but they hog a huge amount of space. The games are amazing and although many good ones are free, they come with a price... you will pay with huge memory consumption. Asphalt 8? 1.5 GB used. GolfStar? 847 MB, Even Angry Birds Go comes in at a whopping 519 MB. This is a device which needs SDCard support but which is sorely lacks, unlike the BlackBerry Z10 which you can function well with on a 16gb model and add your own storage later for media (like movies and photos). If you are in the market for an iPhone, I suggest you buy the most memory you can afford.</div>
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BlackBerry Z10 (BB10)</h3>
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This phone is one of the best in the market, and coupled with the QNX-powered BB10 operating system, makes it blazingly fast. The all-gesture interface elminates the need of a home button which is a sore-spot to see on an iPhone. I have to use the home-button all the time to switch between apps, use Siri, close apps and perform other functions. There is simply no need for that button and it can break which is why the iPhone has a virtual home button option when it does. </div>
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The BlackBerry Z10 is a work-ready device. BlackBerry has always excelled in that field. If you need to download files or content from the internet or your email, save it on your phone, manipulate it, archive it, attach it and send to other people, BlackBerry has it running out-of-the-box. You have access to the file-system so you can use it just like your desktop computer. The iPhone required additional apps to enable internet-browser downloading and media sharing to other devices on your WiFi network (outside of iTunes). That makes sense. Apple wants to shelter users from that stuff, and wants to provide a "curated" experience through iTunes which also appeases content-providers and the entertainment industry. BlackBerry is not strong in this respect, but it allows users to have more control of their files and how they move.</div>
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The app gap is still quite strong between Apple and many of it's competitors. The BlackBerry Z10 did not have as great a selection of apps. However, if you did not care about a specific or official app and just wanted some great games and productivity apps... The selection may be smaller, but the quality is still there. Unfortunately the type of integration with Podcasts is missing (or I can't seem to find it) on BB10. The funny thing is, I was using it on the Playbook to download but it never moved over to BB10. Apple has a full podcast app that lets you subscribe and keep current with content, which automatically downloads to your phone. BlackBerry World allows you to purchase movies and music, but you will have to use 3rd party apps for books, magazine subscriptions and so on. Apple has managed to wrap up all different media types under their iTunes umbrella into a unified experience.</div>
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True to it's core nature as a productivity/business device, the BlackBerry Z10 has an incredible keyboard experience for an all-touch device. It is not just marketing propaganda. I can honestly profess that using both iPhone and BlackBerry, I can type much faster on the BlackBerry keyboard. And this is not only because of predictive text. When I press on the screen, the BlackBerry gets my keys correct whereas on the iPhone I am constantly getting A and S mixed up, and other neighbouring keys. The Z10 is slightly larger but it is not the size here, I believe it is the algorithm and learning on the Z10 keyboard which makes the difference. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
In Conclusion</h3>
<div>
<br />
There are no clear winners. These devices are great in their own right, in different ways. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I love the BlackBerry Z10 for just letting me get things done easily and not restricting me on anything. I can plug into any computer or browse the internet, download and transfer any file I want outside of any sort of software (like BlackBerry Link)... simply drag-and-drop anywhere, no questions asked. All the main social app integrations are there. I can expand my storage, hook up to an HDMI easily, swap batteries, run and go. The browser is incredible and the screen is nice and large.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I love the iPhone for the awesome selection of apps, amazing quality games, endless Podcast and iTunes content and all-around ease of use. The overall popularity means I can purchase just about any peripherals for it and there is a huge amount of support and product compatibility. Popularity also means many of your friends have access to the same socially-powered games and communication networks. The phone is built for entertainment consumption and gives you an easy way to manage all of it in one place.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For now I will continue to enjoy the benefits of both phones and have a SIM-card adapter that I will use to be able to swap my nano-SIM in and out of each device. This will be an interesting experience and we will see if the phones behave well having intermittent SIM use, or whether things go all out of sync. I highly doubt it, since most things will still update over Wifi. The only difference should be whether the phone works (oh yes, these devices have a phone in them, I completely forgot)? </div>
Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-50309904720944585502014-01-03T07:49:00.003-08:002023-03-09T08:04:19.912-08:00Chatbots Are At It AgainThis post was deleted because Google flagged it for containing adult content (I had included the actual AI Chat transcript that occurred). So I deleted it and will give you a brief summary of what it contained without the inappropriate language the Chatbot was using. Basically, there was an AI Chatbot that randomly tried to contact a user to entice them to visit their webcam page or some other link where they can solicit the user for a subscription or payment for adult content.
I am surprised that these AI Chatbots were allowed to roam freely on Google's chat platform in the first place. Anyways, it seems to have gone away over the past few years but I'm worried now that new AI Chat programs are becoming popular. I suspect that's why this blog post was just recently "flagged" because it must have become more highly searched. Note that the post was originally posted in 2014! (My edit is from March 2023).
I will try to try to get Google to unflag this page now that I've erased the chatbot content (which was somewhat explicit as I wanted to show you what these AI chatbots are about). Let's see what happens!Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-23306599802504206732013-12-18T20:57:00.002-08:002013-12-18T20:57:15.174-08:00Beware of Google Chatbots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://girlschase.girlschaseinc.netdna-cdn.com/images/plenty-of-fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://girlschase.girlschaseinc.netdna-cdn.com/images/plenty-of-fish.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
You are checking your email on Google when suddenly a chat request from some unknown email address appears in your Google Chat listing. Curious, you accept the invitation, wondering if it is perhaps someone you know. The user's profile pic shows a somewhat provocative female, but unrevealing, and has no face to allow easy identification. The chat starts off with "What's Up" or "How Ya Doing". You reply "Do I know you?" and she quickly replies about how "lonely" she is and is looking to have some "fun". You decline with a "Sorry I'm not interested" and get bombarded with more replies and requests, increasingly of a sexually explicit nature, and inviting you to visit a webcam for more interaction.<br />
<br />
As you ask her about how she got your email and repeatedly explain that you are not interested, you are met with more and more of what seem to be "canned" answers. You start to suspect something odd about the interaction. It soon becomes apparent that the other person is not interacting or understanding you at all. You, my friend, are another victim of a "Chatbot", a clever artificial-intelligence program designed to simulate human chat and which is spamming unsuspected Gmail user accounts.<br />
<br />
In our increasingly interconnected social-network-based world, sites such as Google (which integrate chat functionality and other features into email) can be targeted by clever "bots" or computer programs which spam other random Gmail users to start chats. The chats appear to be designed to entice users to cam sites which then ask for money. Fortunately, it is easy to block and disable each individual bots. Once you realize what is happening, it is easy to recognize the signature profile information before even opening the chat (which typically has no personal detail, and shows a faceless but provocative female figure). However, there is currently no way to block all external chat requests (as far as I know) so if you get asked to add an unknown email address to your chat listing, simply ignore it.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, you can also have some fun with these chatbots. Next time you get a chat request on Gmail from an unknown person, enter into a conversation and see how long it takes you to realize that you are speaking to a computer. Try to outwit the computer or discuss something that you believe only another human should know. Be polite, don't offend (just in case it is a real person - which is unlikely), but do get a first-hand experience of how sophisticated these newer chatbot algorithms can be. And maybe if you are really lonely, you may actually enjoy the interaction. But don't blame me if you end up getting spammed more and more!Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-18189593171325571362013-12-09T16:42:00.003-08:002013-12-09T16:42:48.470-08:00Easy iPhone 5 File & Music Transfer<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kIjz3juneMQ" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: OpenSans; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">I'm a long-time BlackBerry and Windows PC user and wanted to simulate the experience of managing all kinds of files easily on my newly received iPhone 5c, without the need for using iTunes at all and without any physical connection to my computer. I found an easy way to do what I needed without any Jailbreak, just trying out various apps.... I narrowed it down to 2 free apps that handle what I need (MyMedia and Remote Files Free). I wanted to share it with others who need some of this extra functionality in an easy way. See the video above, and read on below to see how it works!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: OpenSans; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: OpenSans; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">HOW IT WORKS:</span><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: OpenSans; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: OpenSans; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: OpenSans; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">I want to be able to copy music, documents, photos, PDF files and everything else I can imagine from my Windows PC to the iPhone, and back. The Remote Files Free app connects to a Windows Network share drive. As long as both devices are on the same WiFi connection, you can link... The addresses are all local 192.168.x.x format. The iPhone sees your PC folder and you can move files around. When you copy them to your iPhone, they end up in the "local" app's file store. If you have music, you can upload entire folders and organize tracks. When you play a song, it will play the entire folder if you want so the folder structure becomes your playlist. If you want to copy stuff from your iPhone to the PC, you can do the same thing to transfer files the other way.</span><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: OpenSans; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: OpenSans; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: OpenSans; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">The other feature I needed was the ability to download and save practically any file format on the web to the iPhone, either to review later, share or email, or transfer to my computer. I found a free app called MyMedia which has a browser modification allowing download. In the video I used an MP3 download site as an example, but you can do the same with PDF files, documents, photos, videos, or anything you want. When it downloads the file, it saves it to the MyMedia app's file store. </span><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: OpenSans; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: OpenSans; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: OpenSans; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">So here is the kicker... In MyMedia you can "Open in Other Apps", and you pick "Remote Files Free" (RFF)... when that happens, the file gets copied to the root file store of RFF as well. I usually delete it from the MyMedia app, and use the RFF app to organize my files, and also copy if needed to my Windows PC. This is good because I can also email or share the files. I was used to being able to do all this on my BlackBerry effortlessly and one of the things that frustrated me on iPhone was the lack of a central file-store with all of these options. Hopefully people will find this combination of free apps useful for this.... I am sure there are paid apps which do everything (both functions) and jailbreaking options which do even more. However, for someone who just wants an easy way to add this basic feature, this seemed a good way.</span>Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-41231013454497183102013-11-06T10:45:00.002-08:002013-11-06T10:45:49.306-08:00Instagram v4.1.2 with Video running on BlackBerry 10.2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Instagram runs fairly well as an Android port, and thanks to many resourceful people in the hacking community, it is possibly to fairly easily bring this app to your device. However, I do not wish to promote piracy. Instagram has reasons for not releasing the app for BlackBerry, and nobody seems to know why. However, for <b>testing purposes only</b> you can do the same thing as you see in the video above. The usual disclaimer applies - not responsible for bricking your device. Having said that, many people have done this without problems.<br />
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Get the Unlocked Android Runtime from this thread here:<br />
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<a href="http://forums.crackberry.com/bb10-leaked-beta-os-f395/berryleaks-presents-leaked-unlocked-android-runtime-842651/" target="_blank">Berryleaks Presents Unlocked Android Runtime</a><br />
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Get Instagram here:<br />
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<a href="http://bb10bars.net/apps/com-instagram-android" target="_blank">Instagram Android BAR</a><br />
<br />
Get the Sideloading tool here:<br />
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<a href="http://bb10bars.net/bb10-sideloading-tool/" target="_blank">Sideloading Tool</a><br />
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Learn how to do it by reading the guide here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://bb10bars.net/guides/sideloading-guide/" target="_blank">Sideloading Guide</a></div>
Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-33539232240606080492013-11-02T10:01:00.004-07:002013-11-02T10:07:58.049-07:00Amazon Gift Cards... Argh!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76sTiO75JDq3st-X9d1l6_Mu_BOtiLQXUM8P7b09zh9bXXkI67VWEn4cX37uBli54fvK-gcqO07V2srZxXScKQWIOeF1Q-P0psgXTnkBXkNGfp4P0-qaSIpdbpUjtomhB4frFZIDx4QY/s1600/amazon-giftcard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76sTiO75JDq3st-X9d1l6_Mu_BOtiLQXUM8P7b09zh9bXXkI67VWEn4cX37uBli54fvK-gcqO07V2srZxXScKQWIOeF1Q-P0psgXTnkBXkNGfp4P0-qaSIpdbpUjtomhB4frFZIDx4QY/s320/amazon-giftcard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I recently received a $25 gift card for Amazon. I managed to spend it already, but I think it is important to share my experience for those of you who <strong>may be thinking of buying gift cards</strong> this holiday season, especially for friends and relatives in other countries. <br />
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I don't want to complain too much, considering I got the $25 gift card rather easily (for filling out a survey online). And also, thank you to the company who conducted the survey for the nice gift (they were seeking information from app developers on their experience with certain platforms and SDK's).<br />
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<h3>
So what's the scoop? </h3>
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Well I found out rather surprisingly that <strong>Amazon gift cards can only be used on the originating site to which they were purchased.</strong> This completely screws anyone who lives in a different country. I live in Canada (which has Amazon.ca), but my gift card was bought from Amazon.com (USA). <br />
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For example, in my case the gift card was purchased by the company on Amazon.com (USA). When I tried to type in the code on Amazon.ca (Canada), it would not accept it. Ok, so I logged into Amazon.com using my Canadian (Amazon.ca) account username and password and was able to add the funds to my account. Great. However, it was NOT added to my Amazon.ca account. It was added to Amazon.com. Yet I was able to log in to both accounts using the same username and password. Huh?<br />
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<h3>
Independent Entities? B.S.!</h3>
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I contacted Amazon support to try and understand. Apparently, each Amazon is a different entity. I was under the assumption that $25 US would just be CONVERTED to whatever currency you are paying with, and could use ANY Amazon site around the world.... US, Canada, UK, and others... what is the difference? Why can the gift card not just be redeemed at the current exchange rate on any of the Amazon sites around the world?<br />
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The reason this becomes an issue is mostly with people who have relatives and friends around the world and want to gift them some Amazon goodness. <strong>You may be giving them a gift card which is prohibitively expensive to actually redeem</strong>. I will give you an example from my case. <br />
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I searched for items on Amazon.ca and found books for approximately the same price as the Amazon.com counterpart. Great. So what is the big deal? Well remember, Amazon also has independent sellers from which you can buy new or used items. They set approximate shipping costs based on location. It turns out that standard shipping costs are calculated very differently once they go across the border. Canadian shipping from a Canadian seller is much less expensive than buying the item from a US seller. <br />
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When you are on Amazon.com, anything that is intended to cross the border over to Canada is going to fall under "international shipping" rates, rather than "domestic".... and Amazon.com will show US sellers for the most part. To get Canadian sellers who consider shipping to Canada as "domestic" shipping and save yourself a bundle, you will need to search on Amazon.ca. But you then can't use your gift card because it is only showing up on the Amazon.com site! Argh!<br />
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Here is an example: <br />
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<strong>Amazon.COM</strong><br />
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Search for "Raspberry Pi User Guide" on Amazon.com to find sellers who are giving new copies of the book for about $11. It will then cost about $3.99 to ship domestically within the US (4-14 days). If you are in Canada, you will be forced to pay "International Standard" rates with the shipping fee that more than quadruples to $16.95 and can take 3-6 weeks ("International Expedited" 3-7 days is $44.95)!<br />
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<strong>Amazon.CA</strong><br />
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Search for "Raspberry Pi User Guide" on Amazon.ca to find it for about $10 new from some sellers. The shipping of $6.49 domestically within Canada (4-14 days) is much less than the Amazon.com international shipping rates.<br />
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So the choices are...if I buy the book from Amazon.COM but have it sent to me in Canada, it costs me around $11+17 = $28 (and wait 3-6 weeks) versus Amazon.CA where it costs me $10+6.50 = $16.50 (1-2 weeks). Alternatively, buying from Amazon.COM and sending to USA would be $11+4=$15. The choices are $28 (US to Canada and use Gift Card), $16.50 (Canada to Canada but can't use the Gift Card) or $15 (US to US and use Gift Card).<br />
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</h3>
<h3>
So what did I do?</h3>
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At the end of the day, the last choice made the most sense. Pay $15, get to use my gift card, and have it shipped to family in the USA who will be coming soon to visit me anyways and bring me the book. If that was not an option, I would have just paid $16.50 and saved the gift card for another occasion. But there is no way I would pay almost double....$28... simply to cash out my gift card. <br />
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I told this to Amazon but I doubt they care or would listen. <span style="color: blue;"><strong>However, be warned... DO NOT PURCHASE Gift Cards, especially if you are gifting to people in other countries! Amazon Gift Cards do not currently transfer or convert to other countries/currencies.</strong></span><br />
<br />Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-77512541960914474502013-09-21T19:04:00.003-07:002013-09-21T19:04:47.736-07:00Hydrim L110W CF14 Flow Switch Error<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.interguidedental.com/images/products/13ac9def07b98729482737bbfc064e10HYDRIM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.interguidedental.com/images/products/13ac9def07b98729482737bbfc064e10HYDRIM.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
I have a Hydrim instrument washer (Hydrim L110W from <a href="http://www.scican.com/" target="_blank">SciCan</a>) which has been experiencing a CF14 flow switch error. For those of you unfamiliar with this equipment, it is a professional washer that uses a special liquid soap and heated water to cleanse operatory equipment. It is essentially a "super dishwasher".<br />
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The washer pumps special liquid detergent at certain times of the wash cycle into the machine. There are some sensors that check whether or not this process is successful, just in case you run out of soap or if there is a fault in the pump (which is a peristaltic type). The main sensor involved with the "CF14 flow switch error" is a flow switch made by Gentech, model FCS-X008A. Some examples can be found on this <a href="http://www.gentechsensors.com/catalog/flow-sensors/fcs-series" target="_blank">Gentech Sensors</a> page.<br />
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The most disappointing part of all this is the machine is relatively new, only 4 years old. For the cost of this machine, I would have expected at least a 5 year warranty, but it only comes with a 1 year. This is a disgrace for the industry, in my opinion. In any case, SciCan itself will not directly sell end-users parts and everything in Canada must be done through a few oligopolistic dental supply companies. Fortunately, suppliers in the USA or other countries will be happy to provide servicing information and parts. A great deal of information can be found in this <a href="http://www.hydrim-washer-decontaminator-disinfector.com/images_SCICAN_HYDRIM_instrument_washers/HYDRIM_L110W_Surgical_Instrument_Washer_Service_Manual_2008.pdf" target="_blank">Service Manual</a> as well as on this <a href="http://www.shopallstardental.com/pdfcatalogs/scican.pdf" target="_blank">SciCan Parts Document</a> (pages 98-112).<br />
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To complicate matters, a flow switch error may also indicate the actual flow is weak due to the pump or tubing. Use of a peristaltic pump means wear and tear on the tubing inside the pump, which may need to be replaced periodically. The above Parts Document PDF shows a preventative maintenance kit which comes with most of the parts that need periodic replacement. However, sometimes the flow switch is simply "stuck" and when the microprocessor is listening to the sensor during the dose pumping period, it may get a faulty reading. The way the sensor works is when there is no flow, it reads infinite resistance (open switch). When fluid flows, it slides a small plastic segment containing a magnet to another position, resulting in the switch closing (resistance becomes close to zero).<br />
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So why does a 4 year old flow switch stick already? Turns out there is a small rubber stopper covering over the end of the magnet inside the plastic segment. The flow switch is mounted vertically, with fluid flowing up against gravity. When there is no flow, the inner plastic segment with magnet and rubber stopper is resting in the down position (gravity pulls it down over an opening). The rubber gets "sticky" as it deteriorates, perhaps accelerated due to the detergent. It causes the switch to stick in the down position. Normally when the pump starts, the flow should raise the plastic segment with the magnet up against gravity, "closing" the switch (resistance becomes zero) which notifies the microprocessor that flow is indeed occurring. If this does not happen, a CF14 error occurs.<br />
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I think this is a design flaw, especially for this application. The use of a rubber stopper over the magnet to "seal" against back-flow in the flow switch is not needed. The peristaltic pump itself should provide enough resistance to resist back-flow. At least a better, more-resistant material should have been used to cover the magnet that would not deteriorate and crumble over time. I also believe this flow switch is not designed to be used with detergent, only clean water. I will find out shortly as I have contacted Gentech to see if this is the appropriate sensor for this application. In my experience with other equipment, both electronic and mechanical, it is often these "little things" which are over-looked that cause most failures.<br />
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For example, take a look at this <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/62071141/Brother-CDW-Print-Unable-32" target="_blank">Brother Printer Unable 32</a> error, which happened to my Brother 4040CDN printer. The linked document shows how a bit of foam material over a shutter used to cover a sensor can cause it to stick after a few years, messing up a sensor that is used to read toner density and distribution. That piece of foam sticking, which costs a fraction of a cent, will completely shut down your printer. Unless you "dive in" to try to fix it yourself (assuming you find the problem and solution), you would probably spend tons of money trying to fix it. Searching Brother's website for this error provides nothing useful. In fact, the above document is the ONLY one I ever found that actually gets to the heart of the problem and which fixes it, and it was NOT created by Brother (who would prefer to have you throw out your printer and buy a new one). Unfortunately it requires dismantling most of the back end of your printer, just to put a bit of tape over the foam so it is not as sticky. But this is a perfect example of how a silly "less than a penny" material can completely bring an expensive piece of equipment to it's knees (like the tiny rubber stopper on the Hydrim flow switch).Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-86257672841745878432013-08-30T18:36:00.001-07:002013-08-30T18:36:39.601-07:00Hitachi V-1565 GoodnessAfter watching <a href="http://youtu.be/Xh9FNRpta9s" target="_blank">EEVBlog's Dave Jones "Drive Time Rant"</a> regarding buying a real analog oscilloscope, and then his follow-up video on how easy it is to find a good one on <a href="http://youtu.be/lZfbo-2sd1A" target="_blank">eBay for about $50</a>, I took up his words of advice and landed myself a Hitachi V-1565 100Mhz scope and a JDR 2000 20Mhz scope. Both were a bargain, but the Hitachi really made my heart sing. I've started playing with it and have posted a few videos below showing some basic functions that I'm figuring out as I learn how to use it. Enjoy!<br />
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Hitachi V-1565 Cursor Usage with Gabotronics AWG</div>
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Using A/B Timebase options on Hitachi V-1565</div>
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Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-85725666538560754292013-08-30T18:28:00.000-07:002013-08-30T18:28:57.526-07:00Oscilloscope Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQLRdFRNMrjxMRWwDuWl0FofQi_gkFjpqnFZSrc9rbv00HpILAgfzUtMkOK9DJLb-AsZlaEXbHj966fQzFcsdBroMsd4cuk4kCO30Fm4rbDUZiVl2LIOUROhJtGGjzI7c2d2xF1mq8C0/s1600/scope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQLRdFRNMrjxMRWwDuWl0FofQi_gkFjpqnFZSrc9rbv00HpILAgfzUtMkOK9DJLb-AsZlaEXbHj966fQzFcsdBroMsd4cuk4kCO30Fm4rbDUZiVl2LIOUROhJtGGjzI7c2d2xF1mq8C0/s320/scope.jpg" width="320" /></a>I managed to pick up some electrical analog "goodness" recently in my quest to learn electronics as a hobby. Inspired by David L. Jones (of <a href="http://www.eevblog.com/" target="_blank">EEVBlog</a>) and his video on how to acquire a <a href="http://youtu.be/lZfbo-2sd1A" target="_blank">scope on eBay</a>, I followed his advice and bought not 1 but 2 (dare I say it) analog oscilloscopes or "CRO" as you would call it (Cathode Ray Oscilloscopes) for a measly $135! Now that is a lot of fun on the cheap for an electronics nerd.</div>
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The Hitachi V-1565 pictured first is a 2-channel 100 MHz beastie with on-screen cursor display for voltage and timebase readings, two-mode horizontal display per channel and a frequency counter. Total price with shipping (it was a "Buy It Now" item with free shipping) was a whopping $85! This scope normally goes for way more, however it was priced low because it looked beat up and was missing a handle. However, functionally it works perfectly fine. I will post my videos shortly.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBm5tZqW7vyQaiW4DxmEqFSXsKlQOusZsAecxnwX3_K5wSvKlv_ckhwN3ssyTvd6GAMOS7gSvbJ4HU7A8Y5vsXHh95cF2IwUlOjgDtb5L27QX9EW3da6zx8TnkZDRfsTrYt1v9xh2Kzk/s1600/scope2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBm5tZqW7vyQaiW4DxmEqFSXsKlQOusZsAecxnwX3_K5wSvKlv_ckhwN3ssyTvd6GAMOS7gSvbJ4HU7A8Y5vsXHh95cF2IwUlOjgDtb5L27QX9EW3da6zx8TnkZDRfsTrYt1v9xh2Kzk/s320/scope2.jpg" width="320" /></a>The second oscilloscope was an "accidental" buy. It is a no-name <a href="http://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/my-$50-scope-seems-doa-tenma-72-720/" target="_blank">JDR Model 2000</a> (Hung Chang rebrand) 2-channel 20Mhz CRO with a built-in <a href="http://youtu.be/Gwo3pEH7hUE" target="_blank">component tester</a>. It turns out I bid $20 for it (jokingly) figuring I would be outbid. The shipping cost on it was $30. Well the auction ended and I was the highest bidder! Total cost with shipping, $50! This scope was also listed as fully working, came with original box, practically mint condition. I have the manual and even the purchase invoice from 1987 when it was originally bought!</div>
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So this second scope is a Korean OEM make which was sold to many electronics and hobby store suppliers which just rebranded it with their name. No less than a dozen variations are known, and there are likely more:</div>
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Tenma 72-720<br />Elenco MO-1251<br />Hung Chang OS-620<br />Neotronics OS-620<br />JDR Model 2000<br />A-1 Electronics<br />AW Sperry 620C<br />Tenma 72-320<br />Dick Smith Q-1240<br />Aron BS-601<br />Degem System 112<br />Ramsey Model 2200</div>
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<span id="preview-local-desc">KB Electronics Model 33330</span></div>
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Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-23278693664483558012013-07-25T13:52:00.000-07:002013-07-25T13:52:52.029-07:00Memory Calculator (Native Cascades)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhffiKzLMOQGdE_vo947BtDwp4BsicN7iIXCKKT0DN3683UrB1RTXQjSTQvx-8fpgRQRc0FDOyV4mbRiu3As6G17a4R8lQolQQrxrwOZcftExxTb0oAEkouv2HJAEUTmitjhdCGRUaej6w/s1600/memorycalc2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhffiKzLMOQGdE_vo947BtDwp4BsicN7iIXCKKT0DN3683UrB1RTXQjSTQvx-8fpgRQRc0FDOyV4mbRiu3As6G17a4R8lQolQQrxrwOZcftExxTb0oAEkouv2HJAEUTmitjhdCGRUaej6w/s1600/memorycalc2.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
I have finally released my first app coded entirely in Native Cascades SDK for Blackberry 10. It is called <a href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/32765887/" target="_blank">Memory Calculator</a> and it is available for free on BB10 devices everywhere!<br />
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Having come from having experience with Webworks and Marmalade SDK, I found the Cascades SDK experience to also be a bit of a learning curve.... but once you understand it and get the hang for things, it is a nice environment to develop in! You can make smooth and highly-sophisticated apps in a record amount of time.<br />
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Memory calculator allows you to convert easily between megabytes, gigabytes and terabytes in both the decimal and binary definitions to determine exactly how much storage capacity you really have.Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-75531130341381813212013-07-16T10:16:00.003-07:002013-07-16T10:16:56.581-07:00Misleading Hard Drive Advertising<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://gentoovps.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/hard-drive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://gentoovps.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/hard-drive.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
Somewhere along the way, definitions of hard drive sizes have changed. I'm not sure when and how, but I was brought up to believe that storage capacities were measured in bytes, KB, MB, GB, TB and that these sizes were factors of 2 apart (more specifically, usually 1024x the previous which is 2 ^ 10 or 2 raised to the 10th power).<br />
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In short, a byte was 8 bits. A kilobyte (KB) was 1024 bytes, a megabyte (MB) was 1024 KB, a gigabyte (GB) was 1024 MB, and a terabyte (TB) was 1024 GB. Well, apparently this is no longer correct. This is why when I purchase a 750 GB hard drive, it shows up in Windows as having 699 GB! Where did all my storage go!<br />
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The answer lies here: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Bit_and_byte_prefixes" target="_blank">Bit and byte prefixes</a><br />
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At some point when I must have been sleeping, the computer industry invented a number of different prefixes which totally confuse what is meant by KB, MB, GB and TB. Apparently, GB refers to GIGAbyte whereas the old definition that I was taught (powers of 2) is now referred to as a GIBIbyte. How odd? Is this because the hard drive manufacturers want to trick people into thinking they are buying a larger drive than they really are? Is every hard drive manufacturer referring to GB as GIGAbyte, or do some use GB to be short for GIBIbyte? Which is it?<br />
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So for now:<br />
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1000 bytes = 1 kilobyte, and 1024 bytes = 1 kibibyte.<br />
1000 kilobytes = 1 megabyte, and 1024 kibibytes = 1 mebibyte<br />
1000 megabytes = 1 gigabyte, and 1024 mebibytes = 1 gibibyte<br />
1000 gigabytes = 1 terabyte, and 1024 gibibytes = 1 tebibyte<br />
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So by the time you get up to 750 GB, depending on what you are defining as "GB" (gigabyte or gibibyte) you end up with the following numbers of bytes:<br />
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750 x 1000 x 1000 x 1000 = 750000000000 bytes (750 gigabytes)<br />
750 x 1204 x 1024 x 1024 = 805306368000 bytes (750 gibibytes)<br />
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Windows obviously handles things the traditional way, which is why it is reporting my 750 GB as only 699 GB. If you take 750,000,000,000 divided by 1024x1024x1024 you end up with 698.5 GB, which is what Windows is reporting, essentially. So what happened?<br />
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Windows is obviously using the traditional definition with factors of 2 to some power (1024 x) whereas hard drive manufacturers must be trying to mislead the public by over-inflating their hard drive sizes by using a power of 10 (1000 x). How do you know which company is using which definition, when the box only states GB or TB and doesn't state whether that is the new or old definition?Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-49274118752350961732013-07-04T22:15:00.001-07:002013-07-04T22:15:23.379-07:00Jailbreaking Apple TV 3 (Well Sort Of) with Plex<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://dreamjb.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/jailbreak-apple-tv-3g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://dreamjb.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/jailbreak-apple-tv-3g.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I managed to inherit a couple of Apple TV's but was disappointed when I found out they were 3rd Generation which meant no jailbreak was found for them. At least until now.... well.... sort of.<br />
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So what does jailbreaking do for an Apple TV anyways? Those of us who have Roku, Boxee or WDTV media players know that we can access internet videos and apps easily, media servers and computer storage on our network, and also plug a USB key directly in the device (loaded with movies in various video formats) and play them directly on the screen.<br />
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Unfortunately, Apple TV comes with many restrictions on these features. For example, the feature I need the most is the ability to plug in a USB flash drive with movies. There is no way to attach external storage to the Apple TV. You can play movies loaded into iTunes using the "Home Sharing" feature but that seems to be flakey on my setup, and it will only support certain media format types.<br />
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Thanks to Plex and some clever "hacking" on the back-end using PlexConnect, we can now access our non-iTunes media library through any Apple TV (including Apple TV 3). The way it works is it redirects the Trailers section of Apple TV to your Plex Media Server instead, so you can access your media through there. In order to perform this hack though, you need to download a few things. Read this <a href="https://github.com/iBaa/PlexConnect/wiki/Windows-7-and-ATV-with-5.2-firmware-and-ethernet-internet-connection-installation-guide" target="_blank">Installation Guide</a> for full instructions.<br />
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In summary:<br />
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Setting up computer:<br />
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1. Download <a href="http://www.plexapp.com/getplex/index.php" target="_blank">Plex Media Server</a> (PMS) for your computer and install it.<br />
- Set up your libraries in PMS by setting up the folders with your movies<br />
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2. Download <a href="http://www.python.org/getit/" target="_blank">Python 2.7.5</a> and install it (needed to run the PlexConnect scripts)<br />
- Must download 2.7x (need the older version), not 3.0<br />
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3. Download PlexConnect for Apple TV <a href="https://github.com/iBaa/PlexConnect/archive/v0.1-iOS-pre5.1.zip" target="_blank">OS pre-5.1</a> and for <a href="https://github.com/iBaa/PlexConnect/archive/XML_templates.zip" target="_blank">OS 5.1+</a><br />
- You can also access the <a href="https://github.com/iBaa/PlexConnect" target="_blank">iBaa PlexConnect GitHub</a> page directly for latest builds<br />
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4. Unzip PlexConnect and double-click "PlexConnect.py" to launch.<br />
- This pretends to be the Trailer server for your Apple TV but instead will inject your media<br />
- Note the IP address that is listed when it runs in the command window<br />
- It should say (on about the 6th line) "IP_Self: 192.168.0.87" or similar<br />
- Alternatively, in Windows use "ipconfig /all" and look for IPv4 address for your network adapter<br />
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Setting up Apple TV:<br />
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5. Go to General > Network Settings page and either Wi-Fi or Ethernet settings<br />
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6. Choose to Configure DNS Manual and change it to your computer's IP address<br />
- This is your computer running the PMS and PlexConnect<br />
- See step #4 above to find out your computer's IP address<br />
- Usually IP is similar to 192.168.0.x (where "x" is a number from 1-255)<br />
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7. Apple TV will now try to access the internet through your computer's DNS<br />
- PlexConnect handles the DNS now and intercepts the Trailer section<br />
- Instead of Trailers it substitutes your Plex library, tricking the Apple TV<br />
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So for now we can at least hack the Apple TV into playing from another media source besides iTunes Home Sharing and the built-in apps (like YouTube and so on). I look forward to seeing what else can be done with the Apple TV 3. Otherwise, I'm off to purchase a WD TV Play which will give me the flexibility and freedom to play anything I want off a simple plug-in USB flash drive!Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-5777899364367640442013-07-04T15:42:00.003-07:002013-07-04T15:42:56.457-07:00DVD Decrypter 3.5.4.0 and HandBrake 0.9.8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://screenshots.en.sftcdn.net/en/scrn/13000/13113/dvd-decrypter-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://screenshots.en.sftcdn.net/en/scrn/13000/13113/dvd-decrypter-18.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
My experiments with <a href="http://www.copyright.gov/1201/2011/initial/public_knowledge.pdf" target="_blank">"space-shifting"</a> my DVD content for viewing on my portable devices has led to a generally easy combination of software to use that is freely available, light-weight and powerful enough for most tasks. Since the legality of DVD ripping for personal use (much like ripping your music CD's to listen to on your MP3 player) varies from country to country, check with your local jurisdiction. In fact, in some countries it is even considered illegal to download or own software that bypasses CSS!<br />
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The steps involved in converting your DVD's to MP4 are relatively simple. Once "unleashed" from the DVD player, you have the freedom to view your movies on a tablet, phone, or your TV-media player (WD TV, Roku, Boxee) and so on. The first step is to copy the movie to your hard drive using <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_Decrypter" target="_blank">DVD Decrypter</a>, in a way that is decrypted and can be encoded properly. <a href="http://www.handbrake.fr/" target="_blank">HandBrake </a>doesn't seem to handle this on it's own, perhaps for legal reasons it was not allowed to include decrypting code. However, it can deal fine with unencrypted DVD's (which are almost non-existent anyways). When I tried to have HandBrake read directly from the source DVD in the drive, it would always complain or even if it did read properly, the movie would come out with tons of strange artifacts and jitters which made it unusable.<br />
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So with your VOB files ripped successfully to your hard drive using DVD Decrypter, you can set your source in HandBrake to the directory containing your VOB files. It will successfully find your files and let you encode it. I generally use the Regular Normal setting which is good enough and leads to a file size about anywhere from 650 MB (1 hour 17 minutes) to about 1.5 GB (1 hour 50 minutes), depending on the length of the movie and complexity.<br />
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Regarding software versions, you basically have no choice but to use DVD Decrypter 3.5.4.0 because it is the last version available and is still very old. The developer was forced to stop developing this software due to legal action, but newer versions were merged into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ImgBurn" target="_blank">ImgBurn</a> but which lacks the decryption functionality, essentially making it useless for transcoding (it is only good for copying your DVD to another DVD to play on a DVD player). However, you can use special drivers with ImgBurn to decrypt on-the-fly if needed.<br />
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HandBrake is up to version 0.9.9 but I had problems with it on my Windows 7 32-bit system. Therefore, I found that 0.9.8 (available from SourceForge) is more stable and works better. So for now my power punch combination is DVD Decrypter 3.5.4.0 to copy the VOB's over to the hard drive, and then HandBrake to convert over to MP4.Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-38048599375953402412013-07-04T06:31:00.002-07:002013-07-04T06:31:16.159-07:00DVD Ripping Home Library<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images.travelpod.com/tripwow/photos2/ta-06e0-9e06-5d23/dvd-library-5-lcd-tvs-cable-movies-hbo-palm-springs-united-states+1152_13521681277-tpfil02aw-6356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://images.travelpod.com/tripwow/photos2/ta-06e0-9e06-5d23/dvd-library-5-lcd-tvs-cable-movies-hbo-palm-springs-united-states+1152_13521681277-tpfil02aw-6356.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Well there comes a time when we amass a large collection of DVD's and would like to enjoy them on other devices. Today, many titles (Blu-Ray) come with the option to download a digital version. For example, the UltraViolet service <a href="http://www.uvvu.com/" target="_blank">www.uvvu.com</a> is a frequent add-on to many titles.<br />
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However, unless you buy a new Blu-Ray with this option, how do you manage to enjoy your bought DVD collection on your phone or tablet? And what is the legality of converting your own DVD's to view on your own devices, without sharing it? The legal term is know as "space-shifting" as as long as you are the only one viewing it, once at a time, it appears to be legal.<br />
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There are lots of copy protection schemes built into DVD's these days. One good option is to use DVDFab at <a href="http://www.dvdfab.com/" target="_blank">www.dvdfab.com</a> simply to copy the main title onto your hard drive (VOB files). Then you can usually use HandBrake to convert the file down to any format you like (<a href="http://www.handbrake.fr/" target="_blank">www.handbrake.fr</a>). Usually just using "Normal" should do the trick and convert into an mp4 file of good quality. It seems using HandBrake directly for the copying leads to bad corrupt movies that are simply unviewable. However, copying the VOB's to your hard drive with DVDFab (or other copy software) strips some of the copy protection schemes to allow you to properly convert in HandBrake. Of course, you can also do the conversion directly in DVDFab but if you are looking for a free option this combination may do the trick.<br />
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Just one last note... It takes a long time to copy, then to convert... We are talking hours (at least on my setup). So it may not be worth it. As well, DVDFab only has a 30 day trial, but at least you can see how it works before buying it (it has many other features). There may be other VOB copying software that strips copy protection in the open-source/free community. Finally, not all DVD's work. I found many Disney titles almost impossible to copy, and others gave corrupt reading errors (yet they play fine on a DVD player). Have fun and stay legal!Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-71316894455775488912013-03-30T13:49:00.000-07:002013-03-30T16:18:38.687-07:00Dev Alpha C is Here!<br />
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My Dev Alpha C has arrived and it is a beast! The keyboard is fantastic, the battery life superb! I've linked a video below showing an unboxing. Hard-core Blackberry users are going to instantly take to this phone due to the familiar physical keyboard typing experience and the awesome battery performance. More casual users, those who don't mind the touch-based keyboard or media/gaming/entertainment-heavy users are going to stick to the equally awesome Z10 with it's huge HD format screen!<br />
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Looking forward to porting my Blackberry 10 apps to the Q10 device!</div>
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Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-16548446101579068612013-03-18T19:52:00.001-07:002013-03-19T06:19:18.377-07:00Red Developer Edition Blackberry Z10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.ubergizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/red-blackberry-z10-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://www.ubergizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/red-blackberry-z10-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Reluctantly I had to return my Dev Alpha A in January for the trade-up program, but I knew as I awaited eagerly that I would eventually receive this beautiful shiny new red Z10 phone! Well it has finally arrived and I must tell you, it is an amazing piece of technology. The Blackberry 10 OS just flies and there are so many features, so many functions, it is a production and entertainment power-house that fits in your pocket!<br />
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I was able to successfully transfer over the entire contents of my old Torch to the Z10 after using the latest Blackberry Desktop Manager and Blackberry Link. The experience was relatively smooth and I am amazed how the Blackberry Hub just magically seems to collect information from multiple sources and make it easy to organize and follow. Anyone familiar with the Playbook knows how simple it is to drag content over to the device to play videos and music, but if you want to Sync everything to match up with the content on your hard drive you can use Blackberry Link. Speaking of "link", you can also link related or duplicate contact entries in the Hub to quickly combine them! Awesome!<br />
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Here is an unboxing video of this amazing new phone!<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/0Kq5eMbjl_0">Unboxing Red Developer Edition Blackberry Z10</a>Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-85941744192019025072013-03-18T19:37:00.001-07:002013-03-19T06:18:48.255-07:00Crystal Blackberry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I received a nice surprise from Blackberry recently. As a thank you to developers who made specific deadlines in the fall to submit applications for the upcoming Z10 Blackberry 10 platform, Blackberry has shipped us the "Crystal Blackberry Award".<br />
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This beautiful life-sized crystal version of a Z10 sits in a heavy marble base and is inscribed with the words "Thank you for your Blackberry 10 App. We look forward to a shared success!" - The Blackberry Developer Team.<br />
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See the unboxing video linked here for more on this heart-warming gift from Blackberry.<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/IZMPPI9KGNA">Rare Crystal Blackberry Unboxing</a>Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-34887545148978174482013-01-12T08:04:00.003-08:002013-01-12T08:04:34.180-08:00Blackberry 10 Is Almost Here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been a busy past few months with Blackberry 10! I have had a lot of fun hacking away on my Dev Alpha A device and have recently sent it back to RIM for the Blackberry 10 LE phone Trade-Up promo. I hope to be able to do an unboxing and report here next month on my new BB10 LE phone!<br />
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Meanwhile, I have released 4 apps for the BB10 platform and managed to score some Blackberry Port-a-Thon cash for my Marmalade app. My "Marmalade" app (<a href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/20081525/?lang=en">Quantum Colliders</a>) is available on both BB10 and Playbook and I am planning to improve it with time... add more levels, sound, save features and more. I have also 3 other apps on the BB10 platform, including my <a href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/18560147/?lang=en">Text Clock app</a> (also available on Playbook), <a href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/19109978/?lang=en">Vibrating Massager</a>, and <a href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/19992858/?lang=en">Project Gutenberg Aesop's Fables</a>. <br />
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Here are some of my other apps for Blackberry on the Playbook only and pre-BB10 phones:<br />
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<a href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/90185/?lang=en">Smoking Calculator</a> (Playbook)<br />
<a href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/108255/?lang=en">Talking Alarm Text Clock Pro</a> (Playbook)<br />
<a href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/108256/?lang=en">Talking Alarm Text Clock Demo</a> (Playbook)<br />
<a href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/128591/?lang=en">Doctor Braun App</a> (Playbook and pre-BB10 phones)<br />
<a href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/129165/?lang=en">Raspberry Pi App</a> (Playbook and pre-BB10 phones)<br />
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<br />Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-35287388227256504582012-12-19T17:51:00.000-08:002012-12-19T17:51:53.831-08:00My New Game Released!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been a while since my last blog post, but I am happy to announce the release of my new game for the Playbook and Blackberry 10! The game was created as part of the Marmalade SDK promo announced back in October, and a recent upgrade to Marmalade 6.2 has also enabled porting to Blackberry 10. Therefore I took advantage of the recent Marmalade BB10 port-a-thon over the past weekend as well.<br />
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Although the game is available for download in the app store, I have more features to add in the upcoming weeks and months. One of the first features I wish to add is the ability to have the levels locked at the beginning and unlock as you progress through the levels. The game will save your score for each level, so that when you load up the app to play each time it remembers your progress and allows you to improve your scores. That will involve learning to do some basic file read/writes. All that has to be done is to write and load an array that keeps track of the scores on each level.<br />
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For example, the array could be score[gamelevel] which is originally set to 0's indicating the level is locked. As you complete levels, you save the score as either 1, 2 or 3 indicating the score achieved. If you do not finish the level at all, it will remain 0. Therefore, it is easy to see the last level achieved just by scanning through the array increasing in gamelevel until you reach the first "0" level. The array will write and load at each level achievement, and at the beginning of the game when it loads. Also, the icons on the game level selection screen will have to display either a lock, 1, 2 or 3 stars on each level depending on the score. This will basically read through the array and show a lock for all uncompleted levels and scores on levels that have been done.<br />
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The next major feature that needs to be added is sound. There will need to be sound effects which indicate whenever balls get launched or hit obstacles and the particle, as well as some background music which will run in a continuous loop. There can be several different background music tracks depending on the level. A button will have to be added on the main screen to allow music and sound-effects to be toggled on and off.<br />
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Finally, once those basic features are added, new levels and also new types of balls and obstacles will be created. Ideas include worm-hole like regions which allow balls to teleport, special types of balls that split or do other actions when the screen is tapped, regions that accelerate or decelerate balls, different kinds of walls and objects (for example circular walls instead of just rectangles) and so on. There are so many possible permutations, the combinations are staggering and many levels are possible.<br />
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So there you have it, my first Blackberry game ever, made with Marmalade SDK and so now I have my project planned out for the next year, to slowly and steadily improve Quantum Colliders and make it a cool new physics game for the Playbook and Blackberry 10 phone!Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-71383414759190045522012-11-23T09:50:00.000-08:002012-11-23T09:55:29.479-08:00Blackberry Playbook Mini Keyboard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Black Friday is upon us and there are some amazing deals to be had! Unfortunately, most items are in limited stock and only a few early birds enjoy the benefits. One such item is the Blackberry Playbook Mini Keyboard which I am using right now to write this blog. I wanted to share a quick review in case you are contemplating a purchase this holiday season.<br />
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The keyboard is priced at $69 at some retailers right now, and while not available online they may have a few sitting in stores. It is well built and boasts a 30 day battery life after full charge. The keyboard comes with a rugged leather case which is normally sold separately for about $40-50 alone, so having it available with a keyboard now is a good deal. There are sales at the moment for the rugged rubber/leather case for about $15 so if you are only looking for that, it is well worth it. Not to mention the rapid charging stand can also be had for $15 if you can find it.<br />
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Back to the mini keyboard. It is easy to set up and will link not only to a Playbook but your phone, computer, set-top box, game console or any Bluetooth HID enabled device. The keyboard comes with a touchpad which lets you right-click with two-finger tapping and also has scroll features. In this respect, it becomes quite versatile.<br />
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I found a few disadvantages however, although easy to overlook once you get the hang of using it. First, the keys on the rows are arranged in a straight grid, unlike a traditional keyboard where alternating rows of keys are slightly offset. This makes it a bit awkward to type on at first, but after a few minutes your fingers learn where the keys are and it gets a bit easier. The keys are truly small so it can be a bit of a task for thick-fingered people, but certainly lets you type much faster than using the on-screen keyboard. It is also easier on the fingers than using the keyboard on your phone if you are familiar with Blackberry Bridge.<br />
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The keyboard does not come with a charger, but relies on you to use your Playbook charger or any other USB 5V accessory plug. I am not sure if it needs 1 amp rated charger or if your older phone chargers will work to charge it (although perhaps slower) but it took me about 2 hours to get it completely charged from out of the box.<br />
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Finally, the case itself lets you strap in the keyboard with elastic holders at the corners. The problem is that the lower left corner elastic covers the on/off switch for the keyboard, so if you are planning to turn it on and off each time, it can be a pain. I usually just leave it on and it goes into power save mode after a few minutes of inactivity. As well, if you want to activate things again once your Playbook has fallen asleep, simply hit RETURN on your keyboard a few times and it will wake up the keyboard and your Playbook at the same time.<br />
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You can select text by double-finger tapping a word, but then to expand your selection you either have to use fingers on the screen to pull the tags at the end of your selected text, or if you prefer using the keyboard you can hold down SHIFT and use the left/right arrow to move your cursor.<br />
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The one other drawback is the small stand on the back of the case that you pull out to stand your Playbook vertically. It can sometimes be hard to grab it and pull it out, and it is short and so your Playbook reclines at almost a 30-40 degree angle to the table. I prefer it to be higher, perhaps 70-80 range, so I have to proper the stand leg up on something. It would have been nice to allow several options for angle, but this is a minor issue. A small piece of cardboard can be tucked under the leg to achieve the same thing, so you may have to just carry that along with you if needed.<br />
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Overall the keyboard is a nice addition to the Playbook power user. At $69 it becomes a reasonable purchase when you compare to a Playbook that costs about $120 on sale these days, and that many other similar keyboard/trackpad combinations are in the $40-60 range. However, any more than that price and it really has to be a killer product for me. As you can see by the length of my blog entry, the keyboard certainly speeds up the ability to type on the go and makes your Playbook look like a little mini laptop. It is nice and functional and looks good, can be used with other devices. I would pick up another one if they were available, but unfortunately they are out of stock. Let us hope for some more deals coming up in the next few months, because the regular price for the keyboard at $119 just doesn't justify the purchase, in my opinion, unless you are a hardcore Playbook user who must have a keyboard.<br />
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A few more things I forgot to mention. Using the keyboard clears up a lot of room on your screen which gives you much improved web functionality, especially if you are typing into web-based applications, forums or emailing/blogging online. Often when the Playbook on-screen keyboard pops up it will take up a good 30-40% of your screen space and you can barely see the website. The fact that a little mouse cursor also pops up gives you much better control over on-screen elements as well, in case you have trouble using your fat fingers normally on the screen. These features also add to improving the experience of using the Playbook and therefore the mini keyboard is a fun accessory to have! By the way, my typing has improved even further in the past few minutes and the fact that the keys are not offset on alternating rows no longer bothers me. You easily can learn to use it and be typing extremely quickly and without any finger fatigue!<br />
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<br />Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-40094783639858468782012-11-16T11:40:00.001-08:002012-11-16T11:40:06.983-08:00Marmalade SDK for Blackberry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been a couple months since I received my free Blackberry Playbook and <a href="http://www.madewithmarmalade.com/">Marmalade SDK</a> license. While the learning curve has sometimes been slow, it really is fun and relatively easy to put together "native" apps using Marmalade! Fortunately, the SDK allows porting using the same code to many other platforms, meaning that the app I develop for Blackberry will potentially also find some life on other platforms!<br />
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One of the sites that has been instrumental in providing some basics is <a href="http://www.drmop.com/">drmop.com</a> which has a number of good startup samples. As well, Marmalade itself comes with a huge library of examples showing the different features available to use in both 2D, 3D and user-interface demos widget demos. I am happy to say that after looking at a few basic demos, and playing around with Marmalade on <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/eng/products/visual-studio-2010-express">Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Express</a> (also free), my physics-based game is nearing completion!<br />
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The game is similar to "Angry Birds Space" in that it involves shooting particles instead of birds (from a launch area) towards a target (a puck instead of pigs inside structures). In my case, the objective is to hit a puck with the particles, which pushes the puck towards a target zone. You have an infinite number of particles available to use, but your points go down the more particles you need to push your puck to the target. To make matters more difficult, some of the particles are charged "negative" or "positive" (some are "neutral") and there are various negative and positive-charged spots on the game field (which appear as the levels increase) which cause deflection/attraction of your shooting particle, making it more difficult to hit your target puck. There are also rectangular obstacles which reflect your particles/puck and of course the walls of the screen which are also reflecting.<br />
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While not as cute as "Angry Birds Space", the game has potential and while it may be a bit dry and purely physics-based and geometrical at the moment, I plan on improving the game in the future by applying a "theme" while keeping the same game objectives. For example, the particles could be changed into little animals or eggs, and the puck could be made into a large round fruit. The rectangular objects could be boxes and the negative/positive charge deflections/attractions could be made to be changes in the terrain height indicating mountains or valleys.<br />
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I look forward to announcing the game on this blog when it is ready, hopefully in the next 2-3 weeks!<br />
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Meanwhile, check out the <a href="http://blackberry10dev-alpha.blogspot.ca/">Blackberry 10 Dev Alpha Blog</a> which I found, which features some links to pre-release apps to try out.Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367374159249884306.post-62998252928467640382012-11-04T21:10:00.002-08:002012-11-04T21:10:32.792-08:00iPad Mini vs. Playbook Pricing Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Now that Apple has unveiled it's latest tablet offering, the iPad mini, we are rushing into the holiday season with Apple having played it's hand and revealing it's cards. This is bad news for Apple, unless they plan on reducing prices over the next two months. We are likely to see a few more surprises with new product announcements from their competitors (Amazon, Google and Microsoft) who are going to aggressively price their product to compete and do their best to take a bite out of Apple's sales.<br />
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There has already been much negative buzz about the pricing scheme Apple has set for the iPad mini. At least in my area, their basic cheapest 16GB model comes in at a whopping $329, followed by 32GB model at $429 and 64GB model at $529. Apple needed to follow this pricing because they are offering their iPod Touch (4" screen) at $299 and iPad 2 (10" screen) for $399. They had no choice but to price it somewhere in-between.<br />
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Some recent <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5956252/the-ipad-mini-costs-141-more-than-its-components-add-up-to">news</a> has determined that Apple's bill-of-materials or "BOM" on the iPad mini comes in around $188. That means they are making $141 in profit on top (75% markup). Apple could easily reduce the price if it wanted to and still earn a profit, but that could also mean they would have to drop the price of their iPod Touch since people may prefer buying the larger screen iPad mini (if it has essentially the same functions as the iPod Touch). The fact is, competing tablets from Google, Amazon, Blackberry and many others in the 7" screen space have already set a a price level which is much lower and is now in consumer minds.<br />
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Apple is relying on brand loyalty and has positioned itself in the "luxury" tier. Sure it has a strong content ecosystem and thousands of apps, but I also sense some complacency. Apple has rode the success of the iPhone and iPad for the past few years, and they think they can continue to push out over-priced products and have droves of consumers lining outside their stores waving their credit cards. But there will be a point of saturation.<br />
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Consumers loyal to Apple would have likely already bought an iPad over the past few years. Anyone who didn't already buy an iPad is not just waiting for a cheaper and smaller iPad, but is a more discretionary buyer with no particular loyalty, looking at the entire tablet space for value. These are the buyers who likely fueled the increased sales of competing tablets immediately following the iPad mini event. Amazon reported one of it's best day of sales ever on the Kindle Fire, right after the iPad mini pricing was announced. It seems many consumers decided it was over-priced as well.<br />
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A recent article from The Gadget Masters titled "3 Reasons Why You Would Be Stupid To Buy The iPad Mini" makes the following statement (and I quote):<br />
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<i>"The iPad Mini’s specs are comparable to the BlackBerry PlayBook in most areas. In the areas that the two differ, the PlayBook actually has better specs (1GB RAM versus 512MB RAM for example). At only $149, the PlayBook is a far more attractive option than the iPad Mini, since buyers can save $180 (and get a free upgrade to BB 10)."</i></blockquote>
For fun I decided to do some pricing comparisons to see how the Blackberry Playbook stacks up with respect to the iPad mini. At my local retailer I can get a Playbook 32GB for $149 and a Playbook 64GB for $219. Note that there is no more 16GB version available. In fact, a recent sale made the Playbook 32GB available at $129 for a short period of time before it was completely sold out. Compare this with the iPad mini at $329 (16GB), $429 (32GB) and $529 (64GB).<br />
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You can purchase 2 Playbooks with double the memory of the iPad (32GB versions) at $149 x 2 = $298 and still be $31 less than 1 iPad mini with basic 16GB size. In fact, if you want to compare the same memory size devices, you could purchase 3 Playbooks (all 32GB) at $149 x 3 = $447 and only pay $18 more than the 1 iPad mini 32GB. If you had to buy a lightning dock adapter for your iPad mini, cancel out that $18 and basically 3 Playbooks (32GB) = 1 iPad mini (32GB).<br />
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Looking at the 64GB versions, you can purchase 2 Playbooks (with 64GB) $219 x 2 = $438 and pay only $9 more than 1 iPad 32GB at $429. Your 2 Playbooks would have a combined total of 128GB, or four-times that of your iPad mini memory (32GB) at almost the same cost. You could buy 4 Playbooks (with 32GB) $149 x 4 = $596, and be only $67 more than 1 iPad mini 64 GB model.<br />
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Finally, if you bought 2 Playbooks with 64GB ($219 x 2 = $438) and 1 Playbook with 32 GB ($149) that would bring the total to $587 for all 3 Playbooks, which is only $58 more than the 1 iPad mini 64GB version. Your 3 Playbooks would have a combined memory of 160GB, compared to the 64GB of your single iPad mini, and your whole family could have fun using them.<br />
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Now the market will decide. This holiday season, we will see how many people are looking to buy tablets in general, and out of those, how many people shopping for 7" screen sizes will walk out of the store with an iPad mini. Will we get a phenomenon where people buy this device for gifts because of the associated "prestige", or to meet a certain value requirement for their gift? If you receive a Playbook as a gift, will you think the gift-giver cheapened out on you? Would you be more impressed knowing they over-paid? After all, isn't someone's love supposed to be about the amount of money they spent?Doctor Braunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13362263348498642869noreply@blogger.com0