Greg In The Desert

Apple announced their worst kept secret, their Apple tablet computer called the iPad. It’s exactly what what it was rumored to be, a oversized iPod Touch. The iPad will run all the apps the iPhone and iPod touch will run but it’s missing a camera and GPS. Apple says they got 10 hours of use out of it, it will come with WiFi but a 3G cellular data option is available (and unlocked).

I think every rumor, including the prototype pictures at engadget and interview with McGraw-Hill’s CEO and President (Update: McGraw-Hill might have been punished for making the comments about the iPad before it was released), were all sanctioned by Apple. It was just enough to keep the hype and Steve Job’s reality distortion field in place but not enough to actually reveal the device.

I can’t imagine I will purchase an iPad as soon as it comes out (which is not for another 60 to 90 days) I do hope that parts of it make it into Apple’s laptops before my next laptop purchase. I also was hoping for an iPhone OS 4.0 and iLife 2010 announcement.

• Spring like skiing in Durango. http://twitpic.com/1iv7c #
• Wifi at Purgys is pay. Ha ha! I have super case edge by at&t! #
• I’m going to miss Durango. http://twitpic.com/1j0bk #
• Thanks to @weeklyalibi for linking to me in their blog #
• It looks like I got about 4 episodes of BSG to catch up to #
• @jeremyjojola @bsailer it’s Stone Design by the way, they make Mac apps too. http://www.stone.com/ in reply to jeremyjojola #
• What I hate about Twitterrific: displays messages with full names but replies with short names. I can’t keep track of who is who. #
• @dylanhecht TwitterFon is for iPhone. Twitterrific is for Mac. in reply to dylanhecht #
• Almost through the latest episode of BSG. Wow. Didn’t quite follow it all though. #
• @dylanhecht I didn’t realize there was an iPhone version of Twitterrific. in reply to dylanhecht #
• @marcelius exactly. in reply to marcelius #
• No Country For Old Men review: Meh. #
• Blog: Obama Speaks At My High School Tomorrow In Mesa, Arizona http://tinyurl.com/al2cjc #
• Time to get off my ass, out of my pajamas and get some remodeling done. #
• Hulu is disabling Boxee. http://tinyurl.com/cyuzsj #
• There’s a sentence I never thought I would write. #
• @fbihop That’s a tempting device to get. in reply to fbihop #
• @NoraReed link please, i must examine this for myself. in reply to NoraReed #
• @NoraReed I’m seeing no problems with any of them. in reply to NoraReed #
• Interesting to know that “That Obama is the “Black Beast” of the apocalypse?” #
• Myspace salute is a digital image of you holding a sign with MySpace.com and your Friend ID http://tinyurl.com/brqsuz #
• @adin so how is it other than the crappy haircut. What does it cost for just a cut? in reply to adin #
• So, where do people set up vacations to Vegas? #
• @claystorm Not a in-n-out burger, but I will take it. Do you know where? in reply to claystorm #
• 55 degrees in Rio Rancho, according to my weather station. Feels a lot warmer than that. #
• Now 65 degrees in Rio Rancho, according to my weather station. #
• Had to clean out the NatureMill. It’s the most foul smelling odor, i cannot even begin to describe. #
• Blog: 5 Pictures From The Rio Rancho Flickr Pool http://tinyurl.com/ac5458 #
• Watching last weeks SNL. Is it me or did the Jonas Brothers sound terrible. #

Momento Live is a service that goes along with the wifi enabled Momento digital picture frames. It allows you to stream photos from your Momento Live account to other picture frames.

I purchased two of these frame partly for this feature. I wanted to buy frames for my family then be able to stream my pictures to them as without anyone having to do any configuring.

Today I get a email that the service is being terminated. Not only is their site not updated to reflect what the email says, they seem to provide no work around to provide the same kind of service that they currently offer or to remove it from the frame’s software.

I think someone needs to hack the frame to run linux.

Dear Member,

The Momento Live service will be terminated on February 25, 2009. After that date you will not have access to the Momento Live website or services. However, your Momento frame will be unaffected so you can continue to enjoy viewing your photos on your frame.

The closure of Momento Live web site means you can no longer store your photos on the Momento Live server and/or and share your photos with other Momento Live members.

Important note! Any pictures that you have stored on Momento Live server will be permanently lost after February 25, 2009. If you have any images stored on the Momento Live server, please ensure you have a copy of them stored on your PC. Any images that are hosted on Flickr, Picasa, SmugMug, or similar services will not be affected.

When currently visiting the Momento Live web site you may receive a website security warning as the SSL certificate has expired and will not be renewed. Please ignore this message. You are welcome to continue onto the website to retrieve your images.

To visit Momento Live please click here.

Any questions you have may be directed to momentosupport@imate.com

Thank you,

The Momento Support Team

Since the bluetooth on iPhone is reserved for only wireless headset they actually used WiFi to transmit data between the GPS receiver and iPhone. To make this possible the GPS receiver integrates a processor, Wi-Fi antenna, and even a microSD card slot to store the maps. The navigation software itself will also be accesssed via the WiFi GPS receiver using a web interface. The navigation software used and customized for LocoGPS is iGO 8.

Impressive young Skywalker, Hopefully they will ditch the web interface now that the SDK is available. Hopefully Apple opens up the bluetooth interface so this sort of overdone interface isn’t needed.

PDX has a nice WiFi coverage map on their website when accessing it from the airport.

When I wrote about Albuquerque’s (or just the Mayors) desire to have city wide WiFi, I was wondering why Rio Rancho’s efforts were considered to be a bad thing. Apparently the city feels the contract with Azulstar is in breach.

According to the letter, the breaches include incomplete installation of equipment, inconsistent coverage, minimal customer service, improperly installed equipment, nonpayment of PNM electricity bills and nonpayment of a bond for almost $30,000 owed to the city.Azulstar cancelled the insurance on its equipment on April 19, which violates the contract. The company also did not complete an application for a permit required to install the equipment.

Yikes! The Observer did some testing of wireless signal throughout town and found it flakey. As a matter of fact, I usually don’t get much of a signal in various places myself. At my house, I don’t get a signal from Azulstar at all. I was able to use the wireless service at a Rio Rancho public park a while back without any problem and a friend has signed up for the service and likes it. They even came out and installed a repeater on their house.

There’s some other interesting tidbits in that article as well, like residents of the city are suppose to get 8 hours of free service a month. I wonder how that works

There is competiton. Roadrunner Wireless Services, Inc. has antennas up all over the city. I get a strong signal at my house from their various access points and pretty much everywhere I go in the city. Yet I have some reservations about a company that’s about the latest technologies, yet their website looks like it was designed in 1995. It doesn’t load properly when viewed on the internet. When viewed from their access point, your treated to layout done in tables, a starry background and animated gifs.

It was rumored that Sony would announce a new Clie on Friday and it looks like this is it.

The specs look impressive. Although it doesn’t use a Intel XScale processor it does have PS2-ish multi processor with an ARM926 based processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) and a CXD2230GA graphics accelerator made by Sony. Will this be my next Clie?

It’s hard to say. I have a NR70V now and don’t use the Keyboard. Mainly because the keyboard sucks. It’s hard to type with it. I have a Motorola 2-way pager with a keyboard and have no issues using that. Maybe the keyboard on this would be better. It does have WiFi and Bluetooth. Two important items. But the camera isn’t very good. And I would really rather have a 2MP camera.

Looks like my Airport base station (original graphite) has bit the dust. It started to cycle endlessly (red light at left, 3 amber, rinse, repeat). The Linksys BEFW1194 ver2 that I bough seems to really suck at wireless.

I have improved the throughput of the linksys by messing with the settings but it has never matched my APBS. Plus it seems to sporadically loose its signal all together. I bought my parents what I thought was the same model, however theirs (which works great) seems to be physically different.

I’ll try to see if Apple will replace it and will try another Linksys.