After months of not being able to use my nVidia 8800 graphics card, they have finally released the driver today for the Vista launch. Build 100.54, and for 64-bit as well!
January 30, 2007
PowerShell for Vista
At last, PowerShell working in Vista. Just released today to co-incide with the Vista launch, its a must have for any IT Pro. Get it here http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=AF37D87D-5DE6-4AF1-80F4-740F625CD084&displaylang=en&Hash=8PqX6%2f78nxtxEK08FVwUmTZyXup0WZl19IBxvonS4NdyIzukGCkLfVLkNOnAqDstpKdsU55kfbyAc4VddDkqXg%3d%3d
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January 29, 2007
Bypassing Windows Genuine Advantage
I just discovered this by accident today, once a user has downloaded the genuine advantage activex and confirmed their copy of Windows is genuine, the user is redirected to the real download URL. Once you have the URL neither the user nor anyone else who has the URL needs to get checked …. not that I don’t have genuine Windows, as a Gold Partner I’m swimming in licences, but its just time consuming to do all the steps…
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January 27, 2007
The future isn’t Orange anymore, for now…
I always felt Orange were that bit edgier as a mobile phone operator, risking new ideas, giving the best value, well they have changed. Firstly, in technology terms they are slipping back towards Voda territory, I mean where’s the Samsung Blackjack they showed off last year?? For me, the emerging operator is T-Mobile with devices like the HTC Dash and Ameo coming in March to the UK.
But as for pricing! Wow, are they slipping. Their retention team just offered me a renewal of my 4 phones of 350 mins, 250 text and 4mb data each per phone (1400 mins, 100 text, 16mb data) for a total of a whopping £209 per month….WHAT!
By contrast T-Mobile offer Flex 50 with web and walk which gives each hand set 1000 minutes, 550 texts and unlimited data (4000 mins, 2200 texts, unlimited data) for a similar £200per month. That’s £3,600 over an 18 month contract. But wait there’s more! If you go for Nokia 6233’s you can go to Modaco shop and get 12 months half price line rental to boot, saving a further £1200, bringing the total contract lifetime price down to £2,400 or £600 per phone (18,000 mins, 9900 texts and unlimited data per phone for the lifetime).
Plus once you have the 6233’s you can swap the SIMs to another device you really want, like an HTC Excalibur (Dash) SIM free for £255 inc (http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?i=139471), or an I-Mate SPL SIM free for £238 (http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?i=139937) ….
I’m sure that Orange will have to get themselves back out in front and offer all you can eat data, but until they do the sun is setting on Orange for me.
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January 26, 2007
The train, now standing
There’s an article on the BBC website about commuters having to stand on trains on journeys as long as Bristol to Paddington http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6296387.stm. Commuters complain but there seems nothing that will be done about it because its largely a rush hour problem. Of course rush hour commuters pay the most money for their privilege of travelling on a train.
When I was going to London the other day I noticed that taped to the window by my seat, and in fact all the other seats in the carriage was a note informing the occupant that the seat was reserved for a school class of 30 the next day from 07:45 at Sevenoaks. Now by Sevenoaks the train is already full and standing room only. So, there were two possible problems; firstly organising 20 kids into the right seats; and secondly getting weary commuters who’ve paid full fare to get out of the seat to give to a schoolkid. Unfortunately I was not travelling on that day so didn’t see the chaos which must have ensued. I think in this case possesion is 9/10’s of the law, I would have like to have seen the conductor enforce such a ‘request’.
But never-mind that! How come its safe for someone to travel from Bristol to Paddington standing on a train when the law prevents them doing the same on a plane or coach, in fact they even need to wear seat belts. I don’t believe that statistically trains are safer than planes or coaches, and when they crash its as difficult to get out or rescued, so isn’t there a health and safety issue here ? Should passengers even be allowed to stand on a train ? If they can, then why can’t passengers stand on a plane ? I can personally vouch for the fact that a train ride is significantly more turbulent, bumpy and subject to heavy braking as a plane, so where’s the logic?
Personally I think we, as a country, need to significantly invest in our rail system, making it better, faster, cheaper and more pervasive, rather than pricing people off the network. Lets not forget that in this crazy world, its cheaper to drive or fly from London to Bristol than catch the train!
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January 25, 2007
Why doesn’t my fridge heat my hot water tank ?
In this ever more eco-concious world simple questions come to mind like why doesn’t my fridge heat my hot water tank, or why doesn’t the rainwater, shower and bath water get used for flushing toliets ?
My fridge is just one of many waste heat sources in my house including TV’s and other delicate electricals, but surely this waste heat could be better used rather than me turning on the air conditioner to cool the house down. There’s so much we could do if only there were innovative leadership to help us mere mortals actually do stuff that not only saves the planet but saves us money too.
This is right up there with the fact that I can buy a wind turbine from B&Q to go in my field, but the council won’t give me planning permission to erect it! By the way this is a pretty amazing device, I walked past one in the doorway to B&Q last night. Takes 7 years to recover your ROI and can only power one light bulb, but hey, it would make me feel better.
Come on government, give us an eco-minister to make all these possibilities happen!
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January 24, 2007
BrainBench
A colleague mentioned he had to take a BrainBench as part of a job interview, which for the unitiated, is a (potential) test of your skills in a particular subject. I’d been aware of BrainBench for a while but I just looked at it again, and they offer testing yourself as well as for employers now. A single test is a hefty $45, but for (a still hefty) $199 you can sign up for a year and take and re-take as many tests as you want, at least thats better value for money at a 4 test breakeven.
Amazingly, there are over 600 tests in all fields, not just IT, although IT is most numerous. I’m always wary of these tests as they can highlight misleading results. I think they are a useful pointer but not the whole story, and of course are only as good or comprehensive as the test authors. Caveat Emptor.
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January 23, 2007
SQL Server 2005 EE Training Videos
MS have published a set of training videos for SQL 2005 EE which start from complete novice, ie What is a database ? Whilst they are a bit basic in expertise, they do give a quite comprehensive, high level overview of the SQL Server features including reporting services. Obviously aimed at the hobbyist, they are a great step forward in educating people on this type of technology.
Anyway, they are here http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/sql/learning/default.aspx
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January 22, 2007
Forcing .NET apps to run in Vista’s WOW64 (x86)
We hit a .NET problem on Vista x64 that took quite a bit of working out. Basically Rhapzode was running fine on XP and Vista x86 but choked when running on Vista x64, with a BadImageFormatException error. The problem was resolved by re-compiling the source with an x86 target, and all was well again as Rhapzode then ran in WOW64 instead of trying to run as a native x64 .NET app. If you suspect this might be a problem for you, then just look in task manager against your process to check it is marked with a *32 meaning its running in the WOW64.
This worked for us because we had the source code, but what if you don’t have access to the source code or can’t recompile. Well, help is at hand in the .NET Framework SDK. The SDK contains a utility called the CorFalgs Conversion Tool (CorFlags.exe). CorFlages examines and can modify the PE header which is used by the CLR to understand how to load the file.
Its a command line tool, and you can run it in view only mode to see what the PE header contains. eg
C:\corflags myAssembly.exe
Microsoft (R) .NET Framework CorFlags Conversion Tool. Version 2.0.50727.42
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.Version : v2.0.50727
CLR Header: 2.5
PE : PE32
CorFlags : 1
ILONLY : 1
32BIT : 0
Signed : 0
Cryptically, the PE data reports that the CLR header is 2.5 … which it is for .NET 2.0, and of course 2.0 for .NET 1.x … makes perfect sense!
Anyway, back to the original premise of forcing .NET apps to run in the WOW64. You can also use CorFlags.exe to rewrite the PE header with a 32bit (x86) flag to force the app to run in the WOW64 on Vista x64. To mark the file as 32 bit use this command line;
C:\corflags myAssembly.exe /32BIT+
You can also reverse the process with /32BIT-. Hopefully this trick will help someone in distress out in the future.
More info here http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms164699(vs.80).aspx
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January 13, 2007
Great MDA III deal from Modaco
Paul over at Modaco (Hi Paul!), has got a great deal on a T-Mobile MDA III Compact, Otherwise known as the HTC P3300 (’Atemis’). Despite it being a PPC (sorry, my prejudice just slipped out), the P3300 is a great quad band WM5 device and it also has GPS built-in. Its a relatively slim 16.8mm thick but be aware, it takes micro-SD memory cards. I assume, since this is a T-Mobile package, that it ships with Co-Pilot GPS software, although I don’t see a mention of it so check it is included. Is the P3300 the best ever PPC ? Well nearly, if it just had Wi-Fi, a 640×480 screen and 3G …
Apparently, you get it for ‘free’ based on an 18 month Flext 35 Web ‘n’ walk contract at £21.25 per month for first 8 months, and £42.50 for last 10 months, including 900 anytime minutes per month and ‘unlimited’ browsing. I should say that of course ‘unlimited’ never means unlimited, and often nothing like it. In this case unlimited means 2GB per month, which should be fine for email/browsing on a device like this. One limitation (not unique to T-Mobile) is that they reserve the right to slow down your connection speed if they detect you using any VOIP software like Skype, ‘to protect the network’. Technically this also prevents you from using IM like MSN Messenger or Yahoo messenger, but I’m sure they are only looking for hoggers …
Anyway that means the lifetime cost of this package (assuming you necer exceed allowances) is £595 (8 x £21.25 + 10 x 42.50), whereas expansys (http://www.expansys.co.uk) are selling just the SIM-free unit for £480. So that means you get 16,200 (18 x 900) T-Mobile anytime minutes for £115 (£3240 value at T-Mobile £0.20p rate) + ‘unlimited’ web access. Bargain!
But wait! There’s more. You also get a free Bluetooth Headset (although this might be a curse depending on what it is) and MoDaCo Plus membership.
If you really want to unlock it to be SIM-free as well, then its costs £20 http://www.imei-check.co.uk/c3unlock.php
Anyway, sounds like a good deal to me, good job Paul!
Here’s the link to the offer …
http://www.modaco.com/index.php?s=aa898cb7ee5f599db89cf9413b20377b&showtopic=251021
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January 12, 2007
WM5 iPhone
Look at this cool skin to make your WM5 PPC look like the new Apple iPhone. You can get the skin here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1097832&postcount=70.
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This is future stuff … today
At CES 2007 PQI introduced a 64GB SSD DOM (Solid State Device Disk On Module) flash memory replacement for a laptop hard disk. Low power and silent, but there’s no word on price of performance. It has a SATA (100MB/sec) interface, but I hardly think that will be the performance bottleneck, but I really hope its not unusable speed. PQI also say that 128GB will be available during 2007. Now this is really useful technology for reducing power, noise and heat emissions and I will certainly look at upgrading my laptop disk to this … if only my laptop had a SATA interface!
http://www.pqi.com.tw/news_1.asp?ID=1444
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January 11, 2007
Cool Gadget
ADS Tech have released a really cool USB key which can speed up video conversion to MP4 up to 5 times, allegedly. It only costs £50 and is well worth it if you need to convert your movies to PSP or iPod. Unfortunately it is only available to order in the US right now … http://www.adstech.com/products/RDX-160/intro/RDX-160_intro.asp?pid=RDX-160
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January 10, 2007
iTV Disappointment
Its a real shame that the AppleTV (iTV) has missed a real opportunity to be a cool home media centre. I was already to place my order until I read the small print. It doesn’t support Windows Media Video (WMV) and far more fundamentally it doesn’t have any interfaces to an RF signal or set-top box, so its yet another set-top box which does one thing, rather than my home media hub. What a missed opportunity! I was going to use the Windows Vista Media center for this, but it just gets out of sync after a while and stutters so its not a real solution. I had hoped the single fixed function iTV would be the solution … but no, what a pity.
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Apple Keynote is now viewable on demand
including the iPhone announcement. http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/keynote/
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January 9, 2007
Apple iPhone
Steve Jobs annual keynote didn’t disappoint with the unveiling of the Apple iPhone. On first glance I like it, I think that its super slim at 11.7 mm, beautifully designed and runs Mac OS X. However, its expensive, doesn’t have 3G, and despite running OS X, the user can’t install their own apps on it. Actually I had to do a double take when Steve said it ran OS X, thats a huge OS and it would need to be severely cut down to fit in the limited capacity of the device.
Clearly I’ll buy one when they become available in July, although it remains to be seen whether I can get it working here on a UK operator. The close link to Cingular will have benefits and disadvantages, I can see that it had to be done to enable innovative features like visual voicemail (but how important is that really?), but lack of availability on other operators like Verizon and Sprint may limit the uptake rather than draw subscribers to Cingular.
Whilst it looks elegant and sexy, it also appears to be potentially fragile with so much glass on display. Hopefully it will have a nice metal case and saphire scratch resistant glass which would make it more durable.
As a user I like it! As a developer I’m sitting here thinking how can I get my apps on there ?
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January 8, 2007
Q
Q is the codename for Windows Home Server (WHS) initiative announced by Bill Gates last night. This type of thing has been done many times before but when Microsoft do it, thats when its going to take off. Ostensibly this is a solution to provide homes with their own equivalent of a datacenter where all the family’s PC’s attach to and store their data. Whilst technologically there’s nothing really new in this technology repackaging, its the packaging of the solution that actually matters. Cleverly Microsoft haven’t skimped on the base OS using Windows Server 2003 as the foundation with all of its security properties. This is then merged with hardware from a range of partners including HP, Intel and AMD to provide the all in one box solution.
One of the most interesting things for me is that although this is targetted as a home appliance, I can see it getting wide deployment in corporate environments because of its simple deployment and zero management. Don’t get me wrong, this would be tactical rather than strategic deployment, but its low cost and no knowledge approach will win lots of friends.
We’re planning to have Rhapzode and Movie Compiler compliant with WHS at launch and integration in with the ratings and media center extensions. So watch this space!
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January 5, 2007
Sometimes its better to be ignorant
One of the games I got for my PSP this christmas wanted to do an update of the firmware from 2.5 to 2.8, so seeing nothing wrong with this I said yes to the request and let it get on with it. When I came back to it, there was a forlorn message saying the update had failed and I should call tech support. Now normally that would be the last thing I would do, but I really don’t know much about PSP’s and so I turned it off and left it.
When I went to use it the next day it wouldn’t turn on. Strange …. however my first thought was that it was the upgrade that caused the problem so I tried a hard reset … no luck, still dead. A small amount of research revealed that when the Sony PSP upgrade fails it turns the device into a ‘brick’ ie of no value (strangely no value to a housebuilder either). There seemed no solution so I went ahead and called Sony. They explained that it was now a ‘brick’. Furthermore Sony would not do anything about it and so it would remain dead … WHAT!! surely this can’t be true? It was, it is. I explained that the game forced me to do the update and that I had no control over what happened and that I could not be expected to know that it could irreparably damage my PSP. Apparently I should have known, but because I didn’t and importantly, I had left the room whilst the upgrade completed (and didn’t watch it) they would this once do a warranty replacement. PHEW!
The rep informed me that had she believed I knew what I was doing, or I had some technical knowledge then there would have been no replacement as I should have known better (known what better I hear you ask!). Personally I think this is pretty sharp (no pun) practice for Sony to engage in. Either their update works and they take responsibility when it doesnt work, or they shouldn’t allow it to be done unsupervised.
You have been warned!
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