0
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB)
Show Notes:
Contact info: | Feed: feeds.feedburner.com/geekcast | TheGeekcast.com | geekcast@gmail.com | Skype & Gizmo: Geekcast | 206-98-geek-1 | Show notes: send blank e-mail to geekcastpodcast-subscribe@yahoogroups.com | Frappr Map: Frappr.com/thegeekcast
**************
Items of Note:
The Geekcast contest!!!! Co-host the show!
As we reach the 100th episode of The Geekcast, there have tons of great moments and great listeners. To say thank you to everyone out there who supports the show, I have decided to start a contest. See show notes for episode 90 for details.
**************
Tech news:
Pirate Bay taken down in music piracy raid. Swedish police detained three people in raids on Wednesday. The website was in Sweden. Last year Sweden banned the downloading of copyrighted material after being singled out for criticism by Hollywood. The issue of file sharing and copyright has been debated heatedly in Sweden, a high-technology country with a tradition of openness.
Symantec fixes their software. Symantec has repaired a serious problem with versions of its leading antivirus software, which protects some of the world’s largest corporations and U.S. government agencies. The flaw lets intruders steal sensitive data, delete files or implant malicious programs. Symantec began providing a repairing patch for its software over the Memorial Day weekend, just days after researchers disclosed the problem. The speedy response — many software manufacturers take months to do similar repairs — underscored the seriousness of the threat, which affected the latest corporate versions of Symantec Antivirus. The company said the patch is available using its LiveUpdate technology.
Microsoft rolls out Mac hardware. Microsoft formally unveiled on Tuesday a wireless keyboard and mouse for the Mac, expanding its lineup of Apple Computer-compatible products. Microsoft demonstrated the keyboard-and-mouse combination, called the Wireless Laser Desktop for Mac, at Macworld in January. The wireless keyboard incorporates Microsoft’s Comfort Curve design with a Mac-oriented key layout and a wireless mouse that uses Microsoft’s tilt-wheel navigation technology. “The Mac Mini is an entry-level system that ships without a mouse or keyboard, so it makes sense for Microsoft and other third-party suppliers to go after that market,” said Tim Bajarin, president of consulting group Creative Strategies. “When Steve Jobs announced the Mac Mini, he made it clear you could use any third-party mice or keyboard.”
**************
Test a geek: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast.
**************
How To: Use Automator to rename multiple files
Automator is one of the applications in OsX that many people don’t even know exist. It is a hidden gem that allows you to automate repetitive tasks and harness the power of the Mac OS. One way we can really take advantage of this program is to create a workflow that will rename multiple files. This is great when you take pictures or have many documents that all relate to a particular topic.
1. Create a new workflow. The first step to automate the re-naming of the image files is to add them to a new Automator workflow. The easiest way to accomplish this in the Finder is to select the items and right-click on one of them. Click the menu named Automator and then choose Create Workflow. A new Automator window will open, displaying a workflow that begins with an action that lists the items that were selected in the Finder.
2. Find Actions. The next step is to locate the actions needed to re-name the identified files and add them to the workflow. To find the actions quickly, you can search for the word “name”. The item we want is “Rename Finder Items”.
3. Add an Action to the Workflow. Drag the “Rename Finder Items” item into the workflow. A dialog will appear warning you about this action. You want to choose “Add”.
4. Set the Action Parameters. For item #3, select “Make Sequential” from the popup menu at the top left of the action view. Select the New Name radio button. Leave the filename blank.
5. Save the workflow. At this point we want this workflow to work any time we need it. You want to remove step 1 and step 2 from the work flow by clicking on their ‘X’ icons. Leave the rename item there as-is. Click the “Options” item at the bottom of that box and make sure to check “Show Action When Run”. Now click on File, Save As Plug-in. Give it a descriptive filename and leave “Plug-in For” as Finder.
At this point any time you need to rename multiple files, select the files you want, right-click (or control-click) one of those files and select “Automator”. A sub-menu will pop out showing you the workflow you created. Clicking on that will bring up the dialog box similar to the one we had before. Just add a filename to the “New Name” field and click the Continue button. All your files will be renamed.
**************
Ask A Geek: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast.
**************
Hack: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast.
**************
The geek’s view: T-Mobile MDA
When it comes to phones you can go one of two ways: regular phone or smart phone. I have taken the dive and went down the complicated road of using a smart phone. Back in March I picked up the MDA from T-Mobile. The MDA is one iteration of the HTC Wizard phone. The same base is used for the Cingular 8125 (I may be wrong on the model number). The phone has many great sides to it and a few quirks.
The first thing you notice about the MDA is that it’s short and chubby. The unit is nicely sized on the length and width areas but the depth of the phone is over an inch and that takes some getting used to. The display on the phone is nice and large. The colors are bright and there is no issue with seeing anything. On top of a great screen you have many buttons that can be re-mapped to any application you need. The defaults are for Internet Explorer, Mail, Camera, Connection Manager and Voice Dial.
One advantage this phone has over a normal phone is that you can hack the hell out of it. Because it runs Windows Mobile 5, it works in almost the same fashion as a Windows desktop. This means you can dig deep into folders to find items and edit the registry to customize it. The first thing I did on this phone was install Opera for Windows Mobile. I made it my default browser and even mapped the “E” key so that I can launch it with only one hand. The mail application works with MS Exchange, POP or IMAP servers and should fit into any e-mail setup you need. Using it with Gmail is a bit tricky and you should read up on how to set that up.
The phone sports bluetooth and built in wifi to give you fast internet access. One nice addition is the ability to use the phone as a modem for your computer if you need one. This allows you to use the phone capabilities to get online. In some areas you can use the Edge high-speed GSM data network.
On the flip-side the phone does have some faults. The first is the speed, with the processor only running at 180 mhz. This is decent for normal use but if you plan to use more than one application at a time that won’t cut it. You will need to use a program called OMAPClock to overclock the processor to get more juice out of the phone. It’s easy to do and you can even re-map application shortcuts to overclock the processor on an application by application basis. If you are thinking of using Skype on this phone, overclocking is a must.
Another major downfall is Microsoft’s lack of a taskbar in this OS. When you have a program open and something overlaps it, you cannot get it back unless you close what you just opened. You’re essentially flying blind and it can get quite annoying. Another freeware program, Magic Button, corrects this issue and holding the stylus on its icon even gives you some power-user features.
Finally, the keyboard is a bit tough to get used to. There is no dedicated row for numbers and so you must hold the function button or double-tap it to get numerals to be inputted. Also some of the keys were recessed out of the box so typing is difficult at times. I find myself having to concentrate on what I’m typing to make sure it comes out right. The Sidekick II beats this keyboard by far.
The phone is easy to use and allows you to make calls with ease. The sound is clear and the Windows Mobile OS is quite stable. The internet is fast if you can get to an Edge area and even GPRS works fine for most browsing. Installing applications is a breeze and the included ActiveSync software is fantastic for backing up your data. A great additional resource is the XDA Developers forum and the Howard Forums. These places are full of hacks and add-ons for the MDA.
Overall, the phone is great to use once it’s been customized and you get used to yet another form factor. The camera takes decent pictures, the phone gets good coverage and the stylus is hidden well when not needed. If you want a real power-toy or need something to read Word documents on the go, the MDA is for you.
Pricing on the MDA varies but with no plan or rebates, expect to pay somewhere around $400. If you can score rebates the phone can be had for $200.
Learn more at www.t-mobile.com
**************
Related Episodes:
E-mail
Voicemail
