Posts

Showing posts from September, 2006

What I really like about the Nokia 770

Looking at the title you probably think this is a sarcastic joke. I've been a harsh critic of the 770 and more than complained about the Nokia 770's flaws and limitations . If I can't stand it, why I even bother to power it up, let alone use it? The reason I continue to use my 770 is the bundled browser, Opera . It showcases the best physical feature of the 770, its display. The 770 display is landscape oriented, 4 inches in size and has a resolution of 800 x 480 with 65K colors. It's large enough to easily read web pages, sharp as a tack and the colors are gorgeous. The only other application that comes anywhere close to Opera in quality and usability is, thank goodness, the wireless connection manager. Let's first start with the wireless connection manager. It has the ability to show every open Wi-Fi access point within range, and allows you to pick any of them to connect to the internet. If the connection needs an access key it will ask for it and save it

Why Ubuntu gets it right

There's a rant over on Linux Forums why Ubuntu got it wrong. I've used Ubuntu (and a few other distributions), and frankly, Ubuntu et. el. does get it right, if not right enough. So let's deconstruct the rant and see where the author got it so wrong. Unless you have been living in a cave somewhere in Redmond you would no doubt have heard of Ubuntu and its many derivatives, touted as 'Linux for human beings'. Ubuntu has become the darling of the Linux media and has stolen the limelight from other prominent distributions such as the stalwart Red Hat and, the now Novell owned, SuSE. The question is why? Ah. Nice inflammatory opening. A man after my own heart. Beautiful opening sentence equating Redmondites (and by association those who work for Microsoft) as cave dwelling troglodytes. In that same paragraph he goes on to impune the good fortune and reputation of Ubuntu, somehow implying that Ubuntu 'stole' something rather than working hard to obtain it: commu

Two More Mediocre 770 Applications

It's been over two months since I posted an entry. That last one was about the 770 (specifically its official software upgrade). I'm starting to post again with another article about two 770 applications, the Gizmo Project and the Nokia Media Streamer. The Gizmo Project The Gizmo Project is available for installation on the 770 by following a link off of the desktop's web links (right under the link for AccuWeather). Installation is simple and clean, with no problems. Operation, though, leaves something to be desired. I won't post pictures, since you can see all the eye candy you want on the Gizmo website. I will admit it looks pretty. It's just a shame that, combined with the 770, it doesn't operate as well as it looks. The two biggest problems are its interface and its operation. The interface, while pretty, is jumbled and out-of-order. After autologin, you're presented with a home page that includes, among other things, information identifying your ac