Archive for the ‘Mobile’ Category

Windows 7’s so-called God Mode is actually a shortcut to accessing the operating system’s various control settings.

Although it’s name suggests perhaps even grander capabilities, Windows enthusiasts are excited over the discovery of a hidden "God Mode" feature that lets users access all of the operating system’s control panels from within a single folder.

By creating a new folder in Windows 7 and renaming it with a certain text string at the end, users are able to have a single place to do everything from changing the look of the mouse pointer to making a new hard drive partition.

The trick is also said to work in Windows Vista, although some are warning that although it works fine in 32-bit versions of Vista, it can cause 64-bit versions of that operating system to crash.

To enter "god mode," one need only create a new folder and then rename the folder to the following:

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

Once that is done, the folder’s icon will change to resemble a control panel and will contain dozens of control options. I’m not sure it’s my idea of playing god, but it is a handy way to get to all kinds of controls.

I’ve asked Microsoft for more details on the feature and how it came to be. But so far, Redmond is silent on the topic.

Understanding Windows 7’s ‘God Mode’ | Beyond Binary – CNET News

This has got to be the cheapest (probably free for most people!) mobile broadband signal booster you can find. Now you can forget about building a diy 3G antenna or buying a high gain external aerial for your dongle, this is a completely home-grown version that everyone should be able to try out.

The Best (and Funniest) 3G Mobile Broadband Signal Booster | The Mobile Broadband Blog

Sure, OSX is pretty and functional, but can it fit on a 32mb flash drive? Mac-on-stick is a complete Mac OS 7.0.1 environment that runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, and even Pocket PC. Use it to run old-school apps or classic games like Dark Castle.

Running Linux, Windows or applications like Firefox, Thunderbird, and AbiWord from a USB flash memory device is old hat. How about a Mac 128K or Plus on a USB key? You may think of it as a curiosity, but a “portable” Mac system has a few practical uses:

• Play with old system software and applications without dusting off your old Mac.
• Impress your friends, or show others what the older Mac system looks like.
• Use Mac on Windows and Linux.

Creating a Mac-on-Stick using Mini vMac [LinuxBeacon]

Taking ownership of system files or folders in Windows 7 or Vista is not a simple task. Whether you use the GUI or the command line, it takes far too many steps.

Thankfully somebody created a registry hack that will give you a menu item for “Take Ownership” that will handle all the steps for you.  (If you are the person that originally made this script, let me know and I’ll give you credit)

Here’s what the new right-click menu will look like after installing this registry hack.

Install

Download and unzip the files contained in the zipfile. Double-click the InstallTakeOwnership.reg file and click through the prompts. No reboot necessary.

Uninstall

Double-click the RemoveTakeOwnership.reg file and click through the prompts. No reboot necessary.

Download TakeOwnership.zip

Add "Take Ownership" to Explorer Right-Click Menu in Win 7 or Vista :: the How-To Geek

Ding-dong, the DRM is gone. But not in the way we really want. The copy protection scheme that is used for most Kindle books has been cracked. We’d much prefer it hadn’t been there in the first place but then there’d be no challenge for security hackers.

Giving credit for the advancement gets a little messy. Apparently two folks figured this out at approximately the same time. [Labba] posted about his discoveries while [I (heart) Cabbages] wrote about his exploits in a blog entry. Either way, you can now strip the protection and use your legally-purchased books on any device you choose by using this Python script.

This means that both Kindle and Nook have had their DRM broken. Are these companies really trying to prevent copying (fair use) or do they just want to be able to tell the publishers that there are copy protections while turning a blind eye to what happens in the privacy of your personal computer?

Kindle DRM cracked – Hack a Day

Microsoft dreams of conquering the phone business, but it knows that ‘pink’ is just one hue in a very broad palette.

The leaked photos that emerged on Gizmodo on Wednesday, while genuine, paint just one part of the picture of how Microsoft hopes to get back into the phone game.

According to sources familiar with the company’s plans, the designs shown on Gizmodo are are more the evolution of the Sidekick than they are an effort to take on the mass market or even Apple’s iPhone. The devices themselves won’t be built by Microsoft itself and are unlikely to arrive before next year, the sources said. A Microsoft representative declined to comment on the Gizmodo report.

Microsoft has been working for years now on plans to revitalize its phone business after ceding ground to Apple, Research In Motion, and others. The software maker has been working on a major overhaul of its operating system–Windows Mobile 7, which was supposed to be in phone makers’ hands by early this year but has suffered a number of delays.

The new devices draw heavily on the company’s 2008 acquisition of Danger, the maker of the T-Mobile Sidekick. Although they use Windows Mobile at their core, they are geared at the same kind of consumer who bought a Sidekick–one who is heavily into social networks, instant messaging, and other online services.

Microsoft is counting on Danger for more than just its cachet with teens and young adults, though. Danger also specialized in delivering much of its technology via services. Indeed, the Sidekick evolved as a device where nearly all of the data lived in the cloud as opposed to being managed by the phone itself.

That will be an important component of Microsoft’s phone push, even beyond the range of these devices.

In outlining the future of its phone strategy, Microsoft is trying to keep the breadth of its existing Windows Mobile ecosystem, while at the same time developing a few, closer partnerships that could yield more worthy rivals to the most popular handsets.

Microsoft has signed deals with a few phone makers, such as LG, that are expected to offer Windows Phones designed more closely with Microsoft.

However, this project appears to be in addition to that effort, expanding on the legacy of the Sidekick. Sources wouldn’t provide any exact timing, but I’d think about a year or so, given what I have heard. That also appears to be the current timing for Windows Mobile 7.

For this year, Microsoft is focused on a more modest evolution of Windows Mobile–Windows Mobile 6.5–as well as efforts to re-brand products using its operating system as Windows Phones.

Microsoft also continues to shift executives and other resources to strengthen its phone efforts.

Former server executive Andy Lees now runs the phone business, while former Mac Business unit chief Roz Ho heads a "premium mobile experiences" team responsible for some of the Pink work. The software maker has also tapped folks from its Tellme unit to help bring improved voice recognition capability into Windows Mobile.

In a July interview with CNET News, Entertainment and Devices unit president Robbie Bach acknowledged that Microsoft also just needs to pick up the pace.

"If your point is we haven’t advanced Windows Mobile as fast as we like, I think the answer is that’s true," Bach said. "You are going to see that change."

Microsoft’s ‘Pink’ emerges from Danger’s shadow | Beyond Binary – CNET News

The concept of a self-branded Microsoft phone (or two) actually making it to market is more believable than ever. A deterrent frequently cited in years past was Microsoft’s vested interest in keeping its Windows Mobile hardware partners happy — but as even their staunchest supporters (think HTC and LG) have turned to Android to shore up their smartphone lineups, it’d be far less of a backstabbing move on Redmond’s part to get into the business next year than it would’ve been in, say, 2006 or even 2008. Add in the fact that the Zune HD shares 99 percent of its DNA with what could be a top-notch Windows Mobile-beating smartphone, and… well, it’d actually be a little ridiculous at this point if they didn’t move in that direction, wouldn’t it?
This discussion takes us back once again to Project Pink, the oft-rumored secret package of hardware, software, and services (or some combination thereof) allegedly being developed deep within Microsoft’s skunkworks. Last we’d heard it’d be based on Windows Mobile 7 Chassis 1 with a heavy dose of 2009-spec components capable of chewing through processor-intensive apps and games, and now 9to5Mac says it’s received information that Microsoft will be releasing two Pink devices next year, likely at CES. We’ve heard for a long time that Pink is one of the fruits (perhaps the only fruit?) of the company’s Danger acquisition, and to that end, the Pink devices will apparently be sourced from Sharp — Danger’s primary Hiptop ODM, up to and including the Sidekick LX 2009 — and will feature "Microsoft+Sharp" co-branding, not unlike Garmin Asus. The handsets are said to be codenamed "Turtle" and "Pure," both sliders of some sort with Pure possibly destined for Verizon. As you might expect from a product developed with Danger, it’ll feature tight app store support with carrier integration, but otherwise, there’s nothing else to this latest noise. Considering Danger’s utter lack of experience with Windows Mobile, that could account for the amount of time it’s taking for Microsoft to show its Pink cards — assuming it’s all WinMo- or WinCE-based to begin with. That would also imply that the company would have to start revealing details on its primary next-gen mobile platform in January, which gives 6.5 extraordinarily little breathing room at the top of the food chain.
Of course, 9to5Mac isn’t exactly a bastion of reliable Microsoft banter — we turn to the likes of Mary Jo Foley for that, who’s been providing much of the guidance on Pink so far — but it’s an interesting rumor that we think holds far more water than The Inquirer’s bunk piece from a little under a year ago. Let’s not forget that Danger has a history of procuring its own hardware, and that precedent has transferred to Microsoft by virtue of the purchase. If we see Microsoft+Sharp gear with GSM radios bow in a little over three months, you won’t find our jaws on the floor.

Microsoft’s Project Pink finally bearing fruit in 2010 with two self-branded phones?

Here’s a quick peek at the purported final build of Windows Mobile 6.5 (we call it "Windows Phone," he says) running on an HTC Touch Diamond 2.

Aside from the subtle name/branding change, there’s some meat here in the form of the UI (Zune-ish), Marketplace for Windows 6.5 Phone, the My Phone sync service (free) and Microsoft Tag. Browsing was a bit slow, and if you’re not a fan of WinMo before you view the video, that will probably still be the case when it’s done. Updated: Removed auto-playing video – J.L

Windows Mobile 6.5 Final Build Demos Zune-like UI, Marketplace, Synching – Windows Mobile 6.5 – Gizmodo

Alongside the launch of the new search engine Bing, another free service called Bing 411 also debuted. As you may have guessed by its name, the service lets you call a phone number and get free 411 information (available in the U.S. only). Just like the standard, paid 411 service, you begin your call by saying your city and state and then you tell Bing 411 what business listing or other information you’re looking for. The service will attempt to locate the information and then it will connect you or you can choose to receive a text message instead.

Besides just finding local businesses’ phone numbers, you can also use Bing 411 to get text message links to maps, driving directions, and you can even narrow down business listings by name, type, city, neighborhood, or street.

Other information available via the service include traffic reports, movie showtimes, and weather.

To try Bing 411 yourself, call 1-800-Bing-411 (1-800-246-4411) for free.

Bing 411 Now Available | Sarah In Tampa | Channel 10

Take this for what it is — a totally unverified rumor from a Chinese forum — but a set of specs for a next-gen iPhone have leaked out along with this screenshot, and they’re not entirely far-fetched. According to the alleged leak, iPhone model MB717LL 9 ("iPhone2,1" perhaps?) will have a 600MHz processor (up from the current 400MHz unit), 256MB of RAM (from the current 128MB), 32GB of storage, a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, as well as a digital compass and FM radio, all while retaining the same battery, basic shape, and screen size. Do we believe it? Well, if we were to conservatively guess at specs for a next-gen Apple phone that’s pretty much what we’d come up with — with the exception of FM — so we’re not shaking our heads too hard. Plus we’ve definitely seen evidence that a compass will figure into the equation, and there’s endless whispers that the camera will see an upgrade. Still, only Steve and the gang know for sure, and we’re (probably) not finding out till they’re ready — WWDC, are you here yet?

New iPhone specs leaked — 600MHz CPU, 32GB, 3.2MP cam?

Well hey — it looks like Windows Mobile 6.5 will arrive a little earlier than expected. A post on the WinMo team blog says that the update to Redmond’s smartphone platform will officially launch on May 11, the first day of the Tech Ed conference. We’re figuring that could mean we’ll see the gold build demoed for the very first time, seeing how the version showed off at the glamorous MWC launch was described as an "alpha" cut. Of course, after that it’s all up to the carriers and handset manufacturers as to when we’ll actually see the OS loaded onto devices, but we’re sure the hacking community will find a way to satiate the impatient until then — or until Windows Mobile 7 comes out

Windows Mobile 6.5 to officially "launch" on May 11

Apple and Stanford University this week will begin offering free videos and course materials on iPhone application development.

Video recordings of Stanford’s 10-week computer science class, taught by two Apple employees, will be freely downloadable through Apple’s iTunes U educational channel. The course’s syllabus and slides will be freely available on iTunes as well.

This move toward open, free information is particularly surprising coming from Apple. The tight-lipped corporation is especially peculiar about guarding its secrets, and its products are designed under a restricted, closed platform. However, as Apple continues to expand its product line and partnerships, the corporation has recently been forced to open up — just a peep.

"Stanford is very interested in not just creating knowledge but in sharing that knowledge with anyone who seeks it," said Brent Izutsu, product manager of Stanford’s iTunes U program. "I think there definitely is a little modification at Apple, at least within the education realm, to open up a little bit."

Apple did indeed modify its modus operandi for its iPhone 2.0 software development kit  — under the pressure of widespread scrutiny. Previously, Apple imposed a non-disclosure agreement on iPhone developers, which prohibited them from making public any information on coding software for the iPhone.

Most notably, the NDA barred programmers from exchanging tips with one another on iPhone coding — and critics said this was antithetical to how a scientific community works. The NDA also blocked publishers from releasing books on iPhone software development.

Finally in October, Apple lifted its NDA, agreeing that it was only stifling the iPhone’s potential.

"We put the NDA in place because the iPhone OS includes many Apple inventions and innovations that we would like to protect," Apple wrote in a letter published on its developer site. "However, the NDA has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhone’s success, so we are dropping it for released software."

The removal of the NDA led to the launch of Apple’s iPhone University program, giving instructors and students all the software needed to code for the iPhone for free. This program made Stanford’s iPhone development course possible, and other universities have plans to offer iPhone classes as well.

Universities could teach courses on competing mobile platforms as well. But the unique, attractive factor about the iPhone is its phenomenally successful App Store, which made some independent developers rich. For example, independent developer Steve Demeter announced earning $250,000 in just two months with his game Trism. And Ethan Nicholas, developer of the iPhone game iShoot, raked in $600,000 in a single month with sales of his app.

Stanford is posting its first video of this quarter’s iPhone development course Friday at iTunes U.

Apple, Stanford Teaching iPhone Development for Free | Gadget Lab from Wired.com

One of the best products so far to emerge from Microsoft’s Live Labs has got to be Photosynth, an amazing tool that lets you transform your photos into three-dimensional worlds you can then virtually explore. In the past, we’ve seen Photosynths integrated with Live Maps, turned into slideshows, geotagged, changed into Point Clouds, and even used to document historical events like President Obama’s inauguration. Now you can add one more to that list: Photosynth has come to the iPhone.

With the new iPhone application iSnyth (iTunes URL: http://www.itunes.com/app/isynth) just released today in the iTunes App Store, you can view photosynths with your iPhone or iPod Touch. Within the application, there are buttons for the most recent and most viewed synths as well as a funny category called “nice and synthy,” which apparently means they have tons of photos per synth. In the ones I saw, for example, most were “100% synthy.” There’s also a search option that lets you search for synths using keywords.

Clicking on a synth first gives you a brief description of the image including number of views, number of photos used, date, percentage “synthy,” and a thumbnail from the image. You can then press the “View Synth!” button to delve into the synth on your phone. As with the viewer application on your computer, you can explore the synth using the directional arrow keys, tap to zoom in and out, and even hit a button to see the point clouds.

Unfortunately, you can’t turn your iPhone images into snyths using the new viewer app – you still need to use your Mac or PC to do that. But you can show them off to others here when you’re finished.

iSynth was developed by Greg Pascale with permission from Microsoft. Greg was an intern on the Photosynth team during the summer of 2008. He’s currently a student at Brown University, class of 2009. However, iSynth isn’t a Microsoft product nor is it officially supported by Microsoft. Instead, Greg will provide his own support via GetSatisfaction. 

Photosynth Comes to the iPhone | Sarah In Tampa | Channel 10

According to the good people at Neowin, Microsoft has a few big announcements for Mobile World Congress, which takes place in Barcelona next month. Apparently, the company will be taking the wraps off a cloud-based syncing service called SkyBox, a MobileMe-like system which allows you to sync and backup your Windows Mobile phone OTA, though there’s speculation the service might be extended to non-WM devices as well. The cats in Redmond will also apparently unveil something called SkyLine, an enterprise version of SkyBox, and will properly introduce SkyMarket — its "mobile marketplace" (an App Store competitor). Most interestingly, however, Neowin is now claiming that those shots of a Windows Mobile interface we saw back in November that looked somewhat questionable are in fact actual pics from a forthcoming UI overhaul. The site goes as far to say it can "confirm" that the honeycomb interface seen in the photos are "genuine concept shots" of a new interface. As usual, don’t place any bets on any of this — but we’ll be live and direct at MWC next month, so stay tuned

Microsoft’s SkyBox sync service set for a February unveiling, new Windows Mobile UI confirmed? – Engadget

Windows will run soon on the iPhone using Citrix Receiver, a remote screen software that connects to a PC and gives you the illusion you are running Microsoft’s operating systems, including copy and paste functionality.

Why is this useful? It will give you the ability to run full Windows apps in your iPhone over the network. According to Citrix, you will have full Windows capability, including cut and paste inside Windows.

IPhone: iPhone to Run Windows and Get Copy and Paste (It’s Not What You Think)