Robotics Update

On a totally different note, the robotics team is transitioning to C++ this year from straight C. The communications system between the robot and driver control station is 802.11n. Each robot forms an on-board network between its controller (cRIO from National Instruments), camera (etherlink connected), and uses a game controller to talk back to the hub (Linksys/Cisco 802.11n wireless router). The router sits back at the "driver station" so it has access to line power to drive the router. Two USB joysticks (logitec) provide operator control.

I beg to differ

I had a backlog of InformationWeek newsletters to browse and had a slow moment so I dove in. Here is what popped up:

Google's upcoming Android mobile platform could spur consumers to widely adopt smartphones, according to new research from ABI Research.

The report, titled "Smartphone And OS Markets," said Google's platform could push smartphones toward standardization, which could eventually push smartphone adoption beyond the 14% market share it currently holds.

Maybe that is an idea that can only be accepted as true if the reverse is also true. The reverse would be that the lack of standardization has impeded adoption. I'm not buying it. Standardization in this context is referencing the operating system of the phones. We (referring to people of the planet Earth) have several operating system choices for phones; Symbian, Windows Mobile, Palm, Blackberry, Apple, and Android (probably others too, but you get the idea). The research seems to imply that if we could only have one more people would buy them.

When has that ever worked?

Just a tag line, bragging, or an excuse?

Mitch Wagner over at InfoWeek had an interesting editorial about people who include "Sent from my {mobile phone or iPhone or Blackberry}" in their e-mail messages. I know of a few people who do this because they want to offer an appology for short (blunt?) replies. I also know of a couple people who do this because it was the default when they got their phone (nice marketing, Blackberry).

In the editorial, Mitch quotes liberally from a Slate story that suggests the 'Sent from my Blackberry' tag line either acts as "...a subtle signal to my correspondents that I'm getting a lot done" or "...gives the impression that you're on the move but still chained to work". The Slate author (Paul Boutin) seems to have a double standard, suggesting that when these tag lines mention an iPhone instead of a blackberry they "...conjure an image of a doofus who wants you to know he has an iPhone".

Mitch then goes on to raise a more interesting point, suggesting that regardless of the type of phone involved these tag lines are "...symptomatic of a workplace culture that places more emphasis on effort than results."

Ouch. But maybe he is on to something...

Early Adopter Woes

One of the issues with being an early adopter of a new Operating Systems is compatibility with exiting applications. Why? The app vendors need a bit of time to get their software updated to be fully compatible with the new OS.

If the company has a serious desire to promote their product they can get involved during the beta phase to work out bugs and ensure a smooth transition for early adopters. But what if the app vendor doesn't really care if the new OS succeeds? What if the app vendor may actually benefit from a difficult transition, say for example if the app vendor makes a competing operating system? Say, someone like Apple...

Item from InformationWeek:
Windows Vista May Corrupt iPod Music Players, Apple Says

Upgrading to Vista may result in the inability to play songs purchased from the online iTunes store; other problems 'may corrupt your iPod,' Apple warns. Apple Computer is warning customers who use the Windows version of its iTunes software to hold off upgrading to Windows Vista until it can release a patch to fix a number of serious compatibility issues, one of which could result in a corrupt iPod player.

Apple, in a statement posted Thursday on its Web support forum, says upgrading from Windows 2000 or Windows XP to Vista may result in the inability to play songs purchased and downloaded to the desktop iTunes player from its online iTunes store. Worse, however, is the problem that iPod users could encounter if they try to eject their digital music player from a desktop port using the "Safely Remove Hardware" feature found on the Vista system tray. That, Apple warns ominously, "may corrupt your iPod." Apple says the safe way to undock an iPod from a Vista-equipped PC, until a patch is released, is to be sure and use the "Eject iPod" control in the iTunes software. Apple says the problems will be fixed when it releases the next version of iTunes "within a few weeks." Until then, PC-using iPod customers could experience a number of other problems if they're running Vista, including contacts and calendars that won't synch with their iPods and problems making changes to iPod settings.

In the meantime, some users report that they can get downloaded iTunes songs to play on Vista if they right-click on the iTunes.exe program, select Properties, click on the Compatibility tab, and check "Run This Program As An Administrator."

And the winner is...

Is it funny to you that Access, the company that makes the Palm OS (they bought it from, well, palm), recently won an award (of sorts) for making the best PDA/SmartPhone web browser?

FYI that browser, the NetFront browser, is not available for the Palm OS.

So maybe you're thinking they just haven't gotten around to releasing it for the Palm OS. Plausible, except this is the 3rd year it has been named best browser. You'd think they'd have it dialed in by now.

A quote from the press release is in order:

ACCESS' NetFront Browser continues to be the browser of choice for the
world's leading mobile handset manufacturers and mobile operators. Featuring a
number of unique technologies, ACCESS’ NetFront Browser has been designed to
enable a rich and robust mobile Internet browsing experience.

Apparently Access doesn't think the Palm OS is running on "...the world's leading mobile handset[s]..."

Welcome to Business 3.0

http://www.access-company.com/news/press/Current/110106_pocketpcmag.html

What's really wrong with the Zune?

The real zune screw-deal appears to be the Windows Media Store. I listened to a TWiT podcast last night (This week in tech) and they said people who had bought songs through the windows media store could not use them on the Zune. Apparently Zune has its own DRM, separate from the DRM system used by Windows Media 10 (probably related to the whole Zune "Welcome to the Social" song sharing for 3 days deal- Windows Media's DRM doesn't support 'sharing').

So if you bought songs from iTunes, you can't use them on Zune.
If you bought songs from Napster, you can't use them on Zune.
If you bought songs from Sony, you can't use them on Zune.
If you bought songs from Windows Media Store, you can't use them on Zune.

I guess you don't have to worry about filling up the 30 gig drive anytime soon.

On a side note: I think this Zune is akin to the first XBox. Wait for the Zune360 and we might have something exciting on our hands. I'm thinking Zune wireless syncing with the 360, and using Live credits to buy media (songs, tv, and movies).