A teenage school blog
Top 10 Android Apps
Mar 29th
Android’s been around for more than a year, and in that time developers have whipped up some great apps. Whether you’re a new Android owner or a pro looking for new tools, these 10 great and free apps belong in your arsenal.
1. ASTRO File Manager
This is one of those apps you hope gets some attention, if only to be bought by Google or otherwise integrated into the basic phone software. ASTRO File Manager does a great job of letting you navigate files on your SD card and accessible internal memory, sure, but it also has its own built-in task killer, backs up applications, can send files as email attachments (not all that easy or intuitive from the mail client, for some reason), and much more. It’s the Leatherman of Android utilities, and a must-have on any serious geek’s phone.
More >
Top 10 Windows 7 Booster Applications
Mar 20th
Windows 7 is a big improvement over Vista, and a pretty convenient OS in general—but it’s by no means perfect. These 10 downloads improve Windows 7’s looks, functions, and make it easier, safer, and more convenient to upgrade to.
1. Install all your necessary apps at once
The first few times you re-installed an operating system, it probably felt like an adventure, something fun, a test of your tech prowess. At this point, though, you might just want to skip the part where you spend an hour grabbing Firefox, Picasa, an anti-virus app, WinAmp, uTorrent, and other must-have apps from the net. Ninite is your ticket out of redundant installations. Head to the web site, check off the apps you need from a huge range of good, free software, and download the resulting customized installer app.
Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) with support for HTML5
Mar 16th
Today Microsoft made a pretty cool announcement at MX10. Normally an announcement about a new version of Internet Explorer would not be a big deal. However, this time we find that MS is going to give us some new features that just might make it a big deal. One of the first is new support for GPU accelerated HTML5 based graphics.
There is also support for a new JavaScript engine, Direct 2D, CSS3, Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), XHTML parsing, and a few other items. The announcement included the release of a developer’s preview. This preview does not include a new GUI so things won’t look exactly stunning but it will give developers a chance to get in at the ground floor and get the next version of IE right.
Of course the GPU acceleration will be another place that NVIDIA and AMD can argue, and any version of Internet Explorer (no matter how open) is sure to cause Anti-Trust rumblings somewhere. It will be an interesting time until this one is released…
Top 10 Google Apps Marketplace Apps
Mar 15th
Google’s Apps suite for domain owners and businesses has finally received some star treatment with the launch of the Apps Marketplace. Which Google-friendly apps are free, worth the cost, and entirely useful? These 10 are definitely worth a look.
1. OffiSync
It’s not for lack of trying, but Google’s web-based Docs app can’t do everything that Microsoft’s desktop Office suite can pull. Whether it’s revision tracking, macro recording, or database integration, you can skip the back-and-forth file swapping with the Apps version of OffiSync, a utility that does just what you might think. Save a file in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, and with OffiSync set up, it will save simultaneously to your Google Apps space. You get the feature-rich editing services of Office and the easy sharing and peace-of-mind storage of Google, all at once. [Apps Marketplace link] Price: free.
More >
PlayStation Move: everything you need to know
Mar 12th
Sony dropped a lot of knowledge on us yesterday, at long last replacing rampant speculation with some cold hard facts — and even a name! — for its new PlayStation motion controller. The PlayStation Move is being described as a “platform” and a “virtual console launch” by folks at Sony, and we think they mean it, so prepare for a motion-controlled ad war later this year, as Microsoft and Sony set themselves up for a real three-way fight with Nintendo for your physical living room activity of the gaming variety. While some of the high-level Wii-like functionalities might be obvious, follow us after the break as we walk through the nitty gritty of everything we know so far about Move.
The Basic
If you’ve seen a Wii before, you’re already familiar with the most basic concept here. PlayStation Move is a motion controller system, with sensors to detect the player’s movements and translate them into gameplay. There’s a wrist strap, so you’re expected to make some exaggerated movements. Where Move departs from the Wii is that while the Wii has detection of movement (with its built-in accelerometers), pointing (with the sensor bar), or even exact orientation (with that addition of MotionPlus), Move can track its controller precisely within real 3D space, instead of just relative movement based on a previous position. For gameplay this means less of those cute little flicks Wii pros have come so fond of — most gameplay motions require a full and complete movement on Move — but it also means interesting things for augmented reality. Of course, for augmented reality you need a camera, and lucky for Sony it has the PlayStation Eye already on the market. In fact, the Move system is partly based on what the Eye can detect of those cute colored balls at the end of each Move controller, which lets the PlayStation know how far away from the camera the controller is, and map, say, a tennis racket exactly to a user’s hand.
More >
PS3 problem is fixed
Mar 2nd
The PS3 bug, which left owners of older model PlayStation 3s unable to access their console’s online features or even play certain games yesterday, has been fixed. Or rather it appears to have fixed itself…
Sony has been rather vague on how this issue has been resolved – it doesn’t appear to be through any timely intervention or downloadable software patch. However, they have been able to identify the cause of the problem. Apparently it’s all down to an internal clock device which erroneously recognised 2010 as a leap year and which, in technical terms, flipped out as 29th February rolled into 1st March. However, as 1st March turned into the 2nd, normal service just seems to have returned.
According to a posting on the official PS3 blog (http://blog.eu.playstation.com/), users may find that the time displayed on their consoles is still incorrect, in which case they’re advised to adjust it manually or via the internet. Further information, if there is any, will come via the PS3 blog, we’re told. Although that’s something of a talking point itself – Sony did very little to keep concerned PS3 owners in the loop yesterday. The problem was highlighted; users were advised not to use their consoles while a resolution was sought and that was pretty much it.
[Yahoo]
The PS3 bug, which left owners of older model PlayStation 3s unable to access their console’s online features or even play certain games yesterday, has been fixed. Or rather it appears to have fixed itself…
Sony has been rather vague on how this issue has been resolved – it doesn’t appear to be through any timely intervention or downloadable software patch. However, they have been able to identify the cause of the problem. Apparently it’s all down to an internal clock device which erroneously recognised 2010 as a leap year and which, in technical terms, flipped out as 29th February rolled into 1st March. However, as 1st March turned into the 2nd, normal service just seems to have returned.
According to a posting on the official PS3 blog (http://blog.eu.playstation.com/), users may find that the time displayed on their consoles is still incorrect, in which case they’re advised to adjust it manually or via the internet. Further information, if there is any, will come via the PS3 blog, we’re told. Although that’s something of a talking point itself – Sony did very little to keep concerned PS3 owners in the loop yesterday. The problem was highlighted; users were advised not to use their consoles while a resolution was sought and that was pretty much it.
The PS3 bug, which left owners of older model PlayStation 3s unable to access their console’s online features or even play certain games yesterday, has been fixed. Or rather it appears to have fixed itself…
Sony has been rather vague on how this issue has been resolved – it doesn’t appear to be through any timely intervention or downloadable software patch. However, they have been able to identify the cause of the problem. Apparently it’s all down to an internal clock device which erroneously recognised 2010 as a leap year and which, in technical terms, flipped out as 29th February rolled into 1st March. However, as 1st March turned into the 2nd, normal service just seems to have returned.
According to a posting on the official PS3 blog (http://blog.eu.playstation.com/), users may find that the time displayed on their consoles is still incorrect, in which case they’re advised to adjust it manually or via the internet. Further information, if there is any, will come via the PS3 blog, we’re told. Although that’s something of a talking point itself – Sony did very little to keep concerned PS3 owners in the loop yesterday. The problem was highlighted; users were advised not to use their consoles while a resolution was sought and that was pretty much it.
Sony Warning: PS3 (Fat) Have Error 8001050F!
Mar 2nd
There is great clusterfuckassery going on right now on the PlayStation Network, affecting fat PS3s. Sony is working on it and they hope to “resolve the problem within the next 24 hours.” Updated
We hope to resolve this problem within the next 24 hours. In the meantime, if you have a model other than the new slim PS3, we advise that you do not use your PS3 system, as doing so may result in errors in some functionality, such as recording obtained trophies, and not being able to restore certain data.
The latest thin PS3 model doesn’t have this problem, but if you have a fat PS3, here’s what you are facing if you turn it on:
• The date of the PS3 system may be re-set to Jan 1, 2000.
• When the user tries to sign in to the PlayStation Network, the following message appears on the screen; “An error has occurred. You have been signed out of PlayStation Network (8001050F)”.
• When the user tries to launch a game, the following error message appears on the screen and the trophy data may disappear; “Failed to install trophies. Please exit your game.”
• When the user tries to set the time and date of the system via the Internet, the following message appears on the screen; “The current date and time could not be obtained. (8001050F)”
• Users are not able to play back certain rental video downloaded from the PlayStation Store before the expiration date.
Update: According to some readers, Netflix doesn’t work either.
Update 2: Some readers report everything is back to normal.
Keep watching for updates.
[Sony]
Earthquake strikes Chile
Feb 27th
A massive earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 has hit central Chile, killing at least 78 people, ministers say.
The quake struck at 0634 GMT about 115km (70 miles) north-east of the city of Concepcion and 325km south-west of the capital, Santiago.
President Michelle Bachelet declared a “state of catastrophe” in affected areas and appealed for calm.
People are moving to higher ground on Easter Island amid fears of a tsunami. Alerts are in place across the Pacific.
Tsunami warnings have been issued for Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Central America and Pacific island nations.
Santiago airport has been closed and all flights cancelled until further notice, airline officials say. Flights are being diverted to Mendoza in Argentina. [BBC UK]
Cleankeys Touch Sensitive Keyboard
Feb 25th
Did you know that your run of the mill keyboard is basically a gigantic apartment complex for bacteria? Gross, no? Thankfully there’s Cleankeys, a keyboard that bulldozes that shit and replaces it with a sleek, sterile touch-sensitive slab. Wiping a standard keyboard with a disinfecting cloth kills about 5% of bacteria. Cleankeys claims the same test kills 99% of bacteria on their keyboard, simply because they have nowhere to hide. The wireless keyboard trades actual keys for touch-sensitive ones, so in exchange for a much more sanitary experience you’ll be giving up that satisfying clickity-clack you’ve grown accustomed to. It’s intended for use at hospitals where keyboard-germs are a serious issue, though I’d imagine it might pique the interest of regular old germaphobes too.
The Cleankeys keyboard includes a trackpad for clicking about and uses patent-pending technology to keep it from registering keystrokes when you’re just resting your hands on the thing. That way your doctor doesn’t accidentally diagnose you with alsdfjasgyboxicyuixccccccccc. A molded model costs $400 and a glass version will run you $50 more. No one said your campaign against germs was gonna be cheap. [cleanKeys]
