dinkatron

Slick new Irish comparison site

2010-02-26T09:54:00.005Z

One of the problems of being a small country is that the domestic market is small and consequently native commercial internet properties are actually a bit thin on the ground. Imagine life if Amazon or Play didn't serve the Irish market from the UK. This situation is especially true in comparison shopping. While over in the UK we have moneysupermaket.com, gocompare.com, comparethemarket and confused.com to name just a few - comparing financial products and pretty much anything else is quick and easy.

What's the situation in Ireland? Well 123.ie used to offer comparisons but now seems to be pretty much a broker for Travellers Insurance under the hood. Which is a shame - I've used 123.ie a couple of times. UChoose.ie initially launched with a site that was like a bad-parody of early ninety's web pages complete with typos on the homepage. Then the Irish times bought a small stake and at least it got a facelift, but is still sucked and now unfortunately it's being wound up. Compareireland.ie just looks like an fugly directory service leaving all the legwork up to you.

I stumbled onto bonkers.ie. The site has de rigeur "beta" sticker on it and a twitter feed. So far it offers comparisons for financial products and energy. Insurance (household, etc) in the next month or so. The site is pretty impressive - I tried comparing a couple of savings products (a couple years ago it would have been mortgages - but that's the recession for you). It's slick.

2.1 for Acer Liquid

2010-02-25T11:05:00.001Z

The Acer Liquid e has been announced which is basically the Acer Liquid with an updated OS from Android 1.6 (Donut) to 2.1 (Eclair) and should be out this month. Attempting to call this a new phone by giving it an "e" moniker just leaves everyone confused. The blogs/techfeed react by saying this is the same phone, just with an updated OS. What could have been a positive "Acer updates the Liquid to 2.1 goodness making a great phone even better" gets at best a "huh? Liquid e, eh?". Meanwhile the early adopters that have helped to make the Liquid such a grassroots success are left scratching their heads - does this mean their existing Liquids are getting an update to 2.1 or not? Presumably unless Acer really wants to generate some bad reaction an update will be coming.

HTC by contrast have been very good about letting people knowing where they stand. Pre-announcing ROM updates. They've generated a lot of goodwill from users and remember HTC fluffed the original release of the HTC Hero, the ROM was slow leading to initial reviews claiming the handset was "laggy". They quickly released an updated ROM that fixed the problem and will even support 2.1 on the Hero.

So Acer why so silent, how about some clarity.

Meanwhile if you really can't wait for the Android 2.1 love there's always.....

acer-liquid-community-rom-bugtracker - Project Hosting on Google Code

Acer Liquid selling well

2010-02-08T11:17:00.001Z

Not launched in US yet, but still selling well.
Acer upped shipments to end March (Q1) from 200K to 250K due to short supply of Acer Liquids.

Acer’s Google Android Phone Sales Beat Expectations (Update1) - BusinessWeek

Android games

2010-01-30T13:18:00.001Z

Recently had the conversation with another android user about dearth of games. The iphone is clearly way ahead here, but as this video shows there is a lot of good stuff out there. http://androidhd.blogspot.com/2010/01/50-android-games-in-one-video.html

Frightening atm scam pictures.

2010-01-21T20:34:00.001Z

http://www.krebsonsecurity.com/2010/01/would-you-have-spotted-the-fraud/

Would have fooled me.

First impressions Android SDK

2010-01-13T21:57:00.001Z

So I finally got round to configuring the Android SDK on my laptop at home. One of the reasons I wanted Android over an iPhone was for the development environment. However, I've been too busy simply enjoying using the phone to install the SDK. Plus, if I am completely honest, I was a little reluctant, expecting it to be a bit of a pain to get setup and working. Nothing could have been further from the truth. The overall impression of the SDK is very good.

The documentation is very good. Having read some Google Documentation - this is a bit of a step up. For a start the documentation is very well structured. Lots of good navigation and good cross-linking which is a refreshing change from some of Google API's which have a kind of flat (get quickly lost) structure (I'm looking at you Google Visualisations Docs). The narrative in the documentation is also well thought out.

Downloading the Android SDK, is an Eclipse RCP app which allows you to download different versions of the API (simultaneously) - right up to 2.1. This allows you to develop your app against different API versions. Then you just need to install the Eclipse Plugins into Ganymede (or better) from Android's update site and restart. The whole process takes about 5 minutes. Once you have this you can create a Virtual Device profile and start it up This takes about a minute and a virutal phone arrives on your desktop, it goes through Android's boot sequence and then you've got your virtual phone. I did one that matched my phone.

Then I installed the Hello World Sample (each API release ships with a number of samples) - to have a look at the code. It's a pretty simple example, but the main parts are:

application manifest (what it's called, how to launch it etc).
HelloActivity.java - this subclasses the activity and creates an editable view.
layout - hello_activity.xml - nicely the Eclipse builder for the project is set to automatically generate a layout class from this which means you can refer to the generated class in the HelloActivity.java - nice - static checking support!
strings.xml - resource file for putting the Hello World string in.

Right-click and select "Run As... Android Application" and it auto deploys to the Virutal Phone and starts the application up. Fantastic. Then you can interact with (since it's an editable view, you can bring up the keyboard). Or Press the Home key and then multi-task back into it. I was impressed with how it all just worked out of the box.

Finally, I decided I wanted to see it on my own Acer Phone. So I connected it up via USB. Put the phone into USB debugging mode. Windows detected it, so did the ADB (Android Debugging Agent) which was installed in windows and it magically pops into my device list in Eclipse. Select "Run As... Android Application" again and bingo - it's on my phone.

So far very slick. Plus it's Eclipse and Java development - which is huge.

Meteor APN setup on Acer

2010-01-03T11:21:00.001Z

Got a question on this. Basically, you need to setup an APN.
Acer Settings > Phone Network Settings > Access Point Names > New Access Point

Name: Whatever you like
APN: data.mymeteor.ie
username: my
password: meteor

Then the data services (provided they are switched on for your account) will work.

Need to set separate ones up for MMS, etc. But why would I bother when I have the internet?

Nifty Wireframe GUI designer

2009-12-22T17:51:00.001Z

Lets you build gui's Focus on wireframing - like Balsamiq focus is on stripped down design (no colours etc to get in your way), but has a number of advantages:

free
in the cloud project storage
supports linking between pages
shareable

Mockingbird | Wireframes on the fly

USB Drivers for Acer available

2009-12-21T18:13:00.001Z

The Acer Liquid early shipment contained a USB cable but no driver install CD which was a tad confusing.

It has been possible to sync over wifi (using Acer Sync), but now they've released USB drivers. I've tried them and they work a treat.
In addition to using the Acer Sync software, you can access your Acer as a normal USB drive your favourite file manager.

This makes it amenable to fun stuff like doubletwist.

via Acer Liquid Driver Download | Acer Liquid

Acer faster browsing over 3g than HTC Hero and iPhone 3GS

2009-12-21T14:04:00.001Z

Simple test Acer Liquid vs HTC Hero vs iPhone 3Gs Browser testing. Acer wins.

Not exactly scientific, but hey this is exactly the kind of test Apple shows at their conference.

Other things of note when comparing iPhone3GS

Twice the resolution - 480x800 (WVGA) vs 480x320
5Mp camera vs 3Mp
Custom Ringtones - use any piece of music on the phone. No app or fiddling required.
Cheaper - much cheaper than sim-free iPhone3GS.

Acer Liquid First Impressions

2009-12-13T21:29:00.001Z

Well I bought one from Clover (great service). I've only had it for a couple of days and overall this is an exceptional phone.

It is very fast and the screen is exceptional.
It's small and light - pretty much identical in dimensions and weight to the iphone. The build quality is good and I was worried about finger smudginess - but it is fine.
Web browsing is very fast over both WLAN and 3G (obviously WLAN wins hands down).
The external speakers are actually quite good.
Multi-tasking is brilliant (mid-game interruptions).
Battery life is frankly a lot better than I expected, heavy use will mean re-charging it daily - plus as expected the battery is removeable.
The integration with Gmail /contacts/ calendar - is exceptional - if your like me and you primarily use these then you are onto a winner. It comes with Exchange Sync but I'll steer clear of this as long as I can.
Access to the App Store in Ireland is for free apps only. This is a bit crap (but there are other markets available - go Android openness) - but seriously Google you have a huge facility in Dublin - get it together!
I actually like the fact that Acer hasn't really put too much on top of Donut (1.6). I can install just the stuff I like.
Donut 1.6 is good - but no multitouch (2.0) - Acer alledgedly will release a new ROM in early 2010. I knew this before I bought. I find it slightly annoying when manipulating / cropping photos - but so far that's it.
The camera .... hmm. In good light it is fine. But otherwise forget it. Video is better.
I'm not locked into some over-priced 18-month contract.
Touchscreen keyboards are usable but I don't think I'm ever going to love 'em.

HTC Passion (Dragon) may be due out on Verizon pre-xmas

2009-11-30T09:41:00.001Z

So it's allegedly coming (could be fake) and here are some specs. So let's line them up with their distinguishing features.

Motorola Milestone - Android 2.0, Keyboard, Led Flash, good feedback from users. €500
Acer Liquid - Android 1.6, No Keyboard, No Led Flash, released (dec 7th) - pre-release reviews positive, but no real-world feeback. No official statement from Acer on Android 2.0 support. €380
HTC Passion - (stupid name - Dragon was much better), Android 2.0, No Keyboard, HTC Sense UI nice, HTC good with ROM updates. Price unknown, unreleased - so no feedback at all.

So if the price of the HTC Passion was reasonable in Europe this would look like a bit of a winner. But it would be a close thing with the Liquid. Once Dec 7th comes we will get some real-world feedback which is really necessary given the lack of rep Acer has in the phone market and hopefully some support statement on Android 2.0 from Acer. Lack of Android 2.0 in phones being released is really a deal-breaker - all the new apps are going to target it (multitouch support at the OS level).

Closures in for Java 7

2009-11-25T15:39:00.001Z

The debate over closures in Java 7 is over-ish. Over in the sense that it is going into Java 7 (now the deadline is revised - now back to Sept 2010). Not over, in the any sense because none of the current three proposals are deemed wholly adequate. See InfoQ: Mark Reinhold on Closures for Java. What we need is a "simple" closures. Well who can argue with "simple". From the people who brought you Java 5 generics.....

Bob Lee thinks that it may have something to do with Java 7's focus on parallelism (fork/join/current-work). Adding closure support would sure reduce the boiler-plate.

Less borked AWS simple calc

2009-11-24T16:22:00.001Z

Amazon has updated their monthly calculator to be less broken. Actually seems to work now (with a little prodding of some of the fields - I'm looking at you EC Usage dropdown).

Check out the Droid usage vs the Hero in the US

2009-11-24T10:47:00.001Z

Droid on top (in terms of requests) - that was fast.

See bottom of Gizmodo article: iPhone and Android Are Taking Over the (Mobile) Internet

Also look at the iPhone vs Android split in US, doesn't make sense to me (seeing as the number of iPhone handsets is orders of magnitude greater than android).

Acer A1 available in days

2009-11-17T21:58:00.001Z

Yet Another Android Phone available to pre-order from Clove Technology for €370 - sim free - similar price to sim-free HTC Hero.

1Gz Snapdragon - cortex A8 ? - that's soooo last summer.
800 x400 pixels
5 mp camera
Android 1.6 - hmmm.

So similar-ish specs to Sony X10 - but less Rachely. Still it's a good price (if it's true).
No reviews yet.

Sony Android X10 phone in Feb 2010

2009-11-16T21:22:00.001Z

Pre-order page reveals Sony Ericsson Android arrival date and it's February 2010. Just to remind you.

1Ghz snapdragon processor which is a kind of evolution of the Cortex A8 processor used in the iPhone, Pre and Droid, whereas the HTC uses the older ARM 11 - see architecture). I think that means it should be nippier / better power consumption vis a vis cortex A8. However, that's pretty meaningless, since both of those things are strongly determined by what the mobile OS on top of them decides to do. For example the HTC Hero was deemed slow or laggy on release, but a ROM-update has sorted that out.
854 x 480 pixels - twice the iPhone 3GS resolution - similar to Droid.
8mp camera

but neither of those two things are the real reason to want one - it is all about the Rachel UI. Slick multimedia handling- oh Android may play more media types than the iPhone (not hard), but Rachel UI makes it appear less linux-y and can teach the iPhone a trick or two.

No access to paid apps the Android App market for Ireland

2009-11-13T16:19:00.002Z

Em seriously lame. You can't access Android Market paid apps from Ireland - even though one of the three main operators now offers it.
Here's google's android market support page.

Presumably whenever money changes hands - there are legal issues. However, it should be possible to incorporate it in one EU market and sell the services to all EU markets, surely that is the point of the single-market.

You can get around it by rooting your phone (allegedly).

HTC Hero is on Meteor

2009-11-11T21:59:00.002Z

Meteor has silently let put the HTC hero subsidised from €99 - Available on their €25 plan (€20 if you sign up for 18 months) - take that O2.

So less than 50% of the monthly O2 cost for an iPhone and it half the upfront cost.
You could buy 2 and still be cheaper than a single iPhone.

The HTC Hero may have been surpassed technically by the (unreleased) Droid / Milestone which sports the spiffy new Android 2.0 w/ multitouch (at least in Europe), but with new ROM update it's fast and HTC have formally announced they'll support Android 2.0 on the HTC hero.

This Xmas thing isn't getting any easier.

2009-11-03T12:02:00.001Z

Sony Android Xperia - long rumoured and teased it's now official. Sony releases an Android powered X10 (wait a minute what happened to X3-X9?) for the discerning buyer who walks straight past the dumphone with apps Satio. But not in time for Xmas - grr.

I like Sony phones - the call quality is excellent and the hardware is usually pretty slick and reasonably rugged. Now it's Hero vs Milestone vs X10!!

Xmas Androidicus

2009-11-02T17:19:00.001Z

With Hallow'een over the thinking turns to xmas pressies and finally a decent Android 2.0 phone arrives (Nov 9) in Europe Motorola MILESTONE (SlashGear).
Terrible name (I suppose it's better than calling it 'RC1') - and it is replacing my current bias towards the HTC Hero.

Yes I know HTC has announced the HTC Hero will support Android 2.0 and that the ROM update improved the original slowness.
HTC either put a faster processor and bigger screen in the Hero or drop the price in Europe (a la $99 Droid Eris) and we'll talk, k.

Can't wait to see some real reviews of this thing and the unlocked pricing.

Alestic - encrypting ephemeral storage

2009-10-23T17:48:00.001+01:00

Encrypting Ephemeral Storage - handy for me since there will be potentially sensitive data being processed by my slave EC2 nodes.
This data is transitory, the slaves delete it as it is processed. Amazon also wipes it when you are finished. Still someone, somewhere could break into Amazon and physically steal the disks / SAN or wherever Amazon puts your data. So to follow the "encryption-at-rest" principle, even this must be encrypted. So I'm very happy to see a very simple how-to from Alestic.

Swarm - Scala distributed processing

2009-10-03T10:34:00.001+01:00

Google code project to distribute processing over the grid. Built on scala. Swarm uses Scala's portable delimited continuations to efficiently allows code to migrate across nodes as it accesses the data. This is not a new idea - it was first touted in the AI community as mobile agents.

This kinda seems at odds with current map-reduce style distribution - as popularised with Hadoop and the excellently elegant Gridgain. With these the focus is on problem decomposition - map your problem down into independent computational blocks and transport to the data / access the data at low-cost. The aim is to speed up processing by distributing the computation problem over the grid.

Swarm while an interesting use of Scala technology, seems only really applicable to problems where the data cannot migrate / relative cost of transporting the data is too high. In such problems we simply want to execute some kind of operation on a local system/data set. It also seems to be targetted at computation which is effectively traversing a set of heterogenous data nodes. If there were identical, or there is only one node, we could just use Gridgain today to achieve the same thing.

iPhone and O2 and the abuse of position.

2009-10-02T20:45:00.000+01:00

If your spidey senses were tingling uneasily about the exclusive deal O2 had with the iphone here, it turns out that O2 weren't even going to unlock your iphone when your contract had expired. WTF? Over-priced gouging contract expired - give me my phone! Another case of not owning what you pay for. O2 says they will review this now that they no longer have an exclusive.

Amazon ate my homework kid - wins settlement and establishes a kind of precedent

2009-10-02T14:34:00.001+01:00

Amazon settles lawsuit over deleted Kindle copy of '1984' - nice - you now own your digital content. But what will it mean for DRM - remember Walmart threatening to shutdown the DRM server and then backpedaling. Or indeed for remote kill switches in general? What happens when what Amazon/Apple/Microsoft wants to remove something from their content delivery network, but the customer disagrees?