And so to the problem of syncing…..

There are a number of options available for Android. None of which are as good as iTunes, I suspect… DoubleTwist is an attempt to mimic iTunes-like functionality with an Android phone. However, I’m not overly impressed with it as a piece of software. They’ve just released a client app on the phone too – I guess I might check it out, but I’m not convinced by the reviews I’ve seen so far.

The Missing Sync promise to be a great solution, but it is $40 which grates a little. Plus, it seems to sync _everything_. As I noted in my previous post, I have a load of stuff that _already_ syncs. Contacts, mail and calendar are all sorted. There are only 2 things left I need to sync (that I can think of) – Photos/Videos and the HTC auto-backup file. (Apps is a possibility, but I’m thinking of going with AppBrain on that, as it seems a popular choice)

MyBackup is an online service with an Android app that appears to be highly rated….. but 2GB of space? That seems somewhat paltry for backing up images.

Google, of course, have their own image service – Picasa. Sadly, though, it doesn’t look like the integration with Android is there. And so I think I’m just going to sync photos with my laptop using….. the built in Image Capture programme for syncing with cameras. And I’ll make copies of the autobackup files too.

However, I will play around with DoubleTwist for a while as well, as it’s free , just in case I’ve missed something important.

mrBen

1. It’s quicker.
2. It’s Webkit based, so it helps when working a lot with mobile Webkit stuff
3. My phone runs Webkit
4. The release of 2.2 includes some cool stuff for “cloud-to-device” work, and I suspect a chunk of that will be in Chrome in the near future.
5. The developer stuff is just a bit smoother and neater than firebug

I’m now pretty much a Google boy – I use Google Mail and Calendar, and I have a Google phone, which integrates everything nicely together. Talking of the Desire, I picked up a nasty bug (not sure of the source) which caused the HTC Sense Launcher to repeatedly die, which required a complete wipe of the phone. Luckily, all the magic backup stuff kicked in, and the only stuff I really lost was the connections between my phone, google and facebook contacts, which only took about 30 minutes to restore. (I do really need to sort through my contacts and cut them down – a lot of them are horribly duplicated, and my first phone couldn’t store multiple numbers for a single person, so I have loads of entries for all the different numbers and stuff).

Other than that problem, the Desire is a fantastic phone. I’m enjoying having a “smart phone”, and I suspect that by not having previously had an iPhone is a bit of an advantage. I don’t particularly feel any iPhone envy, and while I appreciate the appeal of an iPhone and the way that Apple handles it, I’m still a big fan of the open nature of Android. While it leads to a proliferation of crap available for the phone, I do believe in the long run it will increase the potential and quality. (Much like the internet). And the price was right.

Oh, and I can’t wait for 2.2 to arrive for my phone – latest news slates it for June 23rd.

mrBen

mrBen

Here’s what I would really like:

• something that can (at least) mimic the functions of the video recorder, ie recording and playing back shows from TV
• something that can handle our library of DVDs
• something that can give easy access to online video content, ideally iplayer and seesaw as they now cover most of the stuff I’d want

Other items (picture viewing, other video plugins, etc, etc) are a bonus that is a consideration, but not a deal breaker.

So I started to look around at some of the current popular offerings. As far as I can tell, MythTV is still the one to beat for straight PVR, although there’s a certain amount of confusing online as to whether or a not a Revo could handle it as a combined backend/frontend. (The dual-core model seems like it might, unsure about the ‘bargain’ box).

When it comes to the online content, there are 3 big boys out there – XBMC, Plex (which is only for MacOS) and Boxee. I’ve looked at all three, and here are my conclusions:

• XBMC – the code upon which the other 2 are based, but seems to be nice. The interface is usable and looks a lot like plex. However, the browsing for plugins is rudimentary, and the list of plugins only had a couple of things I wanted. A search online seemed to come back with a lot of ‘this can’t be done because of DRM’ replies, and yet the plugins exist for Plex, so why not….?
• Plex – pretty nice, although it did have one or two annoyances, not least the reliance on OSX which would make the Acer Revo a more difficult prospect (if a prospect at all)
• Boxee – the new kid on the block making a lot of noise, but, in my opinion, not yet delivering. They need to sort out getting more plugins in there, and it needs an interface to MythTV too It had a whole load of “social” stuff built into it, but, frankly, I don’t think I want/need that. (Reminds me a bit of the Flock browser)

I _want_ to like Boxee, but I find myself leaning towards XBMC more at the moment. Alternatively, there are a load of plugins for MythTV itself, so maybe that is a better option?

I’d love to hear from anybody who has similar needs, and also anyone who’s running Myth on a Revo.

mrBen

The happened for me with both linkpot.net and fosstr.org (both of which I handed over to a friend when I realised that I wasn’t going to be able to maintain them). In both of those, I took the option to choose a new name and get a ‘decent’ domain. However, it’s happened to me again, and, in light of the recent hubbub from ReadWriteWeb which seems to indicate that a significant proportion of the web use Google rather than actually type in addresses, am I better off keeping the name I like and having a longer TLD, or is there still value in having a short TLD?

Thoughts welcome (although let’s not have a discussion about whether someone in the UK should be using .***.uk rather than a US TLD )

mrBen

I started work on Nov 16th at Central with the job title of ‘Junior Developer’. The extra hour in bed in the mornings is wonderful, as is getting home a good 45 minutes earlier at night. I’ve been able to help out with the kids in the morning and evening, which I (hope/think) is a bit of relief for Heather.

I’m doing a stack of Python, which is great, and working on a product that I genuinely think is brilliant. (More on that when it gets formally released ). I’m thoroughly enjoying myself.

All in all, it was definitely the right move to make.

mrBen

Fast-forward to 2009, where I got 2 offers – a new job at Central and a new (to me) bike via an online friend. He had been given an old 10-speed road-bike, but wasn’t allowed by his wife to keep it, so I said I would take it.

I took delivery of an old Peugeot Carbolite 103 (actually the name of the frame, the model is an obscure number on a sticker near the bottom bracket that is a bit torn ) in November, but sadly there is no such thing as a free bike. New tyres were a good start, but when I went for my first serious test ride, the chain broke. A new chain then enabled me to see that the saddle was woefully uncomfortable, so a new saddle arrived for Christmas. I’m still in need of some mud guards, and I suspect a rack at some point, and some additional cycling clothes, etc, etc, etc. You get the picture

Me collecting the bike:

A few alterations later:

Of course, then there are the alterations that need doing. The brakes are shoddy and need a bit more work, if not replacing. The brake levers have been moved, but need moved a lot more to make the drops anything more than decoration. I have bar tape to fit (matching the saddle…). Plus it now needs a good clean and oiling.

However, I’ve done 100 miles in January, having ridden every work day, and I intend to ride at least 200 work days in 2010, which would be about 1000 miles of cycling. It will also save me in the region of £400, although I would need to minus expenses off that…… now – where’s that cycling mag….

mrBen

• My New Job
• My New Bike / Commute / Fitness plan for 2010
• Thoughts on PVRs
• Snow!

But for now, a few excellent links for those of you who are into cycling. My aim this year (more later) is 200 weekday commutes, so I am officially “into” cycling (again!)

• .citycycling (free monthly online cycling magazine)
• Yehuda Moon (cycling webcomic)
• Cyclogs (site for recording all your cycling stats)

L8rs…

mrBen

Sadly, the code is probably not something that many people are interested in, but I was interested and that’s enough for me

Whetstone is a small application to help you memorise verses of scripture over a period of time. Currently it only runs on Linux, although the Windows version is around the corner. Testers are welcomed

mrBen

(Click for fullsize. Thanks to the Ubuntu UK Podcast guys, from whom I won the Canonical store vouchers that paid for the hat )

I love my daughter

mrBen