Technology Guides

If you have been reading this website, you will realize that I finally bulked up (or bulked down, depending on how you view it) from my Blackberry 8820 to a superphone, the Samsung Galaxy S II. When I was walking to the store to pick it up, I had butterflies in my stomach and I could not wait till it was in my hands. I did a lot of work to acquire this phone and so I was overjoyed to finally have it. With that being said, here’s my review and I’ll try to be as unbiased as possible .

The Device

When people first saw my new phone, the first thing that people said was “Isn’t that phone big?” or something along those lines. I was completely blown away as to how many people said that. In retrospect, yes it is big but isn’t size relative? I mean, when the first iPod Touch came out, wasn’t that a big mp3 player compared to the norm? Yes it has a 4.3″ Super AMOLED Plus screen that provides amazing clarity but to me, it’s not big. In fact, this phone is the thinnest and lightest in the Canadian market coming in at 8.49mm and 117g which in my opinion, makes up for the “bigness” of the phone. To put that into perspective, the iPhone has a 3.5″ screen and weighs in at 137g with its thinnest point being 9.3mm. To the casual observer this may not be a striking difference but compare it side-by-side and you’re looking at apples and oranges. They’re both fruit but strikingly different qualities.

I’ll admit that at first it was a little awkward to handle, but like transitioning from a physical keyboard to a virtual one, the end result has left me with no regrets. The ironic thing is, when I go back to my iPod Touch, it feels incredibly small but when I go from my iPad to my Samsung Galaxy S II, I don’t get that same feeling.

Another major difference between the Samsung Galaxy S II are the buttons on the bottom. Most Android smartphones have 4 buttons compared to the SGSII’s 3 which usually goes Menu, Home, Search and Return. I prefer the 3 button scheme that Samsung used on the GS2 because it’s less cluttered and there’s a definable center to it.

Software

I haven’t used the first iteration of the Samsung Galaxy S, but supposedly the new interface, TouchWIZ 4, is a drastic improvement from its predecessor. Most notably, the aesthetics and performance have been improved. I can’t speak much to this because I don’t use the default interface as I have installed an application called GoLauncher EX to replace it. I am currently fiddling with it and finding it quite versatile so I will keep you up to date on that one. Just recently though I updated my SGS2 from the stock 2.3.3 that Bell provides to a custom ROM called Sensation ROM 1.9 that has upgraded me to 2.3.5. The most notable improvements are the battery life (very significant) and when you scroll to the top and bottom, it flashes to let you know it’s reached the end. The call screen is more refined and allows for easier access to contact information. Overall, I’m in love with the software and thus the interface.

Battery Life

As I mentioned above, I’ve upgraded my phone and with that upgrade has come significant battery improvements. Before it would last me from about 10am-2am and the battery would be in critical mode. Thus when I would be heading out that night without my power cord I would recharge it before hitting the town. Now with the upgrade I have no worries as to whether it will last the day or not. On a power hungry day I’ll be down to 25% and on regular days it’ll be closer to 50% battery life left.

Features

Building on the software aspect of this phone, I was surprised to learn with the release of ICS, that a lot of the features that were innovative on it, were already a part of the SGS2. One feature was the “Reject a call with a text message”. This is a really cool feature and was already on my phone when I got it. It comes in handy for sure. I also enjoy the screen after the end of a call where it gives you the option of sending a message or calling again to that same contact. Another “cool” feature in ICS is being able to uninstall apps from the launcher. On my SGS2 I can do hold the apps and click uninstall. I can also drag apps from my home screen up to the top to remove it from the home screen.

Conclusion

Overall I am very happy with my SGS2. The only problem I had with it was the battery life but since that’s been resolved it’s been a dream to have. I still use my iPod Touch as it’s a great music player which I do believe Google still needs to improve on but since I like having two devices anyways I’m happy. Google is making strides with this, with the introduction of Google Music and so it will be interesting to see how it shapes up in the future.

If you have any questions about the SGS2 please don’t hesitate to ask and if any of you have comments about your experience with the SGS2 add them here. Until next time…

Many people know how to make your own ringtone for the Apple iPhone when you have a Mac. You just use GarageBand by adding a song and clicking Share–>Share as Ringtone and voila, your done, but for Windows users it’s a little harder but still very simple. This little tutorial will help you create a free ringtone in less than 2 minutes.

Step 1

Firstly, open iTunes and select the song (preferably mp3) you want to use as your ring tone. Pick your favourite part because the ring tone is only allowed to be a max of 30 seconds. Once you’ve found the part you like, right-click the song and click Get Info. For this tutorial I have used Ghosts N Stuff by Deadmau5 featuring Rob Swire.

Step 2

Now hit the Options tab and check off “Start” and “Finish” and enter the section you want the ringtone to be.

Step 3

Once that’s done, you can go ahead and start converting the file. Right-click the song and select Create AAC Version. If you can’t see this option, go to Edit–>Preferences–>Import Settings and make sure AAC Encoder is chosen.

Step 4

iTunes will now start converting the song, but only the snippet that you selected for your ringtone. Next step is to go to the file location of this new file. It usually will be in My Music–>iTunes–>iTunes Media–>Music. Once there you’ll want to rename your file so iTunes recognizes it as a ringtone. Right-click the file and hit rename, changing the file extension to m4r. If you can’t see the file extension, you’ll want to go to Tools–>Folder Options–>View (tab) and scroll down to Advanced Settings. Uncheck, Hide extensions for known file types.

Step 5

Once it’s renamed, you can import it your iTunes library and then sync it to your iPhone. Just remember when you sync it to check off Ringtones and you’re good to go.

I was sitting in my dorm room watching the latest episode of How I Met Your Mother, which by the way was amazing, when my friend came in and asked if I could help him install a third-party Windows 7 Theme. Now I have never actually done it myself but it seemed easy enough. My friend explained the instructions seemed complicated but here’s a dumb downed version that should be easy for the everyday computer to understand.

Step 1

Download Universal Theme Patcher and run the application that matches up with your operating system, either x86 (32 bit) or  x64 (64 bit). To check this go to Computer–>System Properties. Under the System heading will be your system type.

Once you run the correct version, you’ll see a screen like this. Now manually patch all three files. A backup of each file will be made so don’t worry if something goes wrong, you’ll have the original files.

After you’ve done this you’ll be asked to reboot. Once you have rebooted, you’ll be ready to move on to Step 2.

Step 2

The reason you’ve decided to load a new theme is most likely that you saw a crazy theme that you just loved and wanted to embark on the journey of installing it. If not, there are some great sites that offer like the ones at Addictive Tips (Remember to save it and not open it). Once you’ve got your new theme saved on your computer, extract it to C:\Windows\Resources\Themes.

Step 3

Now make your way to Control Panel–>Personalization and select your newly installed theme. Voila, you’re done.

Update: Some people have made it easy to install Windows 7 Themes and one of those happens to be one of my favourite themes. Smashing Magazine makes a post of desktop wallpapers for the current month. Someone else just took those wallpapers and made a theme. Check it out, Smashing Magazine January 2010 Windows 7 Theme because I am loving it.

Google and Apple have just started competing with each other and things started warming up with the release of the Google Android smartphone but now things may start to heat up with the release of an Apple search engine to compete with the cash cow leader in that department, Google.

This makes total sense for Apple as its brand is gaining ground whereever it enters including a market share in the smartphone industry that has doubled since 2008 from 5.3% to 10.8%. (Nokia has a 41.2% share and RIM has 19.9%). Now it’s rumoured that they’re going to release a search engine.

Now let’s try and figure out if this makes sense when you break down the numbers. Currently Google is the reigning king in this department by a long shot with an 83% market share but this is largely because everyone associates search with Google and so naturally people go there to do their searches. Increasingly though people want services that are more convenient and thus they are searching on the go with their Blackberry’s, iPhones or other mobile devices.

Now this is where it gets complicated because all the major search engines (Bing by Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, and possibly Apple) are promoting their respective sites very hard and with Google launching its browser recently and it rumoured OS, Google is continuing to strengthen its lineup to protect its search engine and revenue stream. Microsoft on the other hand will make its own search engine the default on IE and the default search engine on Windows is, you guessed, it IE. Both these platforms have a stranglehold on their respective market and thus it makes easier for users to use Bing and you should see a steady increase in its usage over the next bit. Apple on the other hand is slowly gaining market share in the OS department where Safari is the default, but where the growth can occur is the smartphone department and that’s where this battle will be won or lost.

The key thing to note is whether or not Apple can continue to grow the iPhone and knock down Nokia and keep up with RIM. If that happens Apple has a serious chance of gaining some huge money because then the default search engine on the iPhone will be Apple’s version instead of Google. Where Google can gain is if the Android takes off and what RIM decides to do. Whether they go with Google, Apple or even Microsoft as their default search engine may determine how far Apple gets.

There really is so much at play here for Apple and in the end there’s too many variables for Apple to worry about to even think about entering but knowing Apple they want their own stuff and so I would not be surprised if they release it anyway. That’s my take and let me know yours.

Midway Games has announced a release date for its new game, Wheelman, for the end of the coming month of March. Tigon Studios, a company founded by Vin Diesel, is working closely with Midway Games to produce this all-new video game for the Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3 and PC. Both these companies have assembled world class people as well as up-and-coming young talent to help produce this game.

“We’re designing Wheelman to play like a Hollywood blockbuster,” said Vin Diesel, Wheelman star and executive producer, Tigon Studios. “Playing this game will be just like taking control of the greatest car chases from feature films, except this time you’re in the driver’s seat.”

For the first time ever, a video game is set in Barcelona. The developer of this game has provided three reasons for this setting, primarily because it is such a beautiful city—complete with great geography, natural landmarks and breathtaking architecture, all of which have been integrated into the game. This makes for a great backdrop while you, the gamer, are creating carnage everywhere. It is also the perfect setting used to depict the real world as a basis for all the different personalities in the story (e.g., Romanian arms dealers, the Chulos street punk biker gang, and Spanish mafia). Last, but certainly not least, Barcelona is jam packed with sweeping highways and tunnels—great for high-speed pursuits, as well as narrow alleyways that are perfect for bikes and smaller vehicles.

Now, what is this video game about? In essence, the storyline is as follows: Vin Diesel is the main character playing an undercover CIA agent named Milo Burik. His job is to infiltrate the gangs of Barcelona to gather intel on a covert heist. He is an amazing driver, so he works as the “wheelman,” hence the name of the game. The cops come into play because he’s undercover, and since the local cops have no clue, he has to stay one step ahead of them.

The whole gameplay heavily reminds me of Burnout and GTA; Burnout because of its destructive theme, and GTA because of its real world focus and the third person on foot gameplay. Nevertheless, Wheelman has something to offer gamers that both these games don’t: each vehicle is finely tuned and thus the level of gameplay has gone up.

For example, each car in Wheelman has its own physics model for handling and damage, making it much more realistic and allowing the gamer to pull off better drifts, 360 spins, handbrake turns and other stunts. One of the huge features that I noticed was the Vehicle Melee System and being able to shoot at enemies while driving. The Vehicle Melee feature allows gamers to sideswipe pursuing enemies with a simple flick of the joystick. Wheelman’s devastating “slam-n-ram” manoeuvres can be carried out in all directions, just like how it would be in a Hollywood-style car chase.

It doesn’t just stop with those two features; you also have the option of being able to “Air Jack” a car. The days are over where you stop gameplay by getting out of a car and stealing a new one. In Wheelman, you can leap from one moving vehicle to another. On top of this, there is a feature called “Aimed Shot,” which enables gamers to slow down gameplay in order to achieve better accuracy while shooting targets, such as weak spots on cars. This feature works in conjunction with another called “Cyclone.” Gamers are allowed to perform the cyclone move; the cyclone move turns the vehicle 180 degrees and makes an Aimed Shot.

Now let’s get to the objective of this post: the cars and bikes. Wheelman is loaded with as many cars and classes as GTA. There are a multitude of vehicles, such as compact hatchbacks, German sedans, limousines, sport cars, vans, scooters, trucks, and sport bikes. However, let’s not forget about the weapons. Wheelman has all the standard weapons one would expect to see in such a game, including pistols, machine guns, sub-machine guns, grenade launchers, and assault rifles.

In terms of actual gameplay, Wheelman is jam-packed with action. It contains 105 side missions that are broken down into seven categories: Fugitive, Contracts, Street Showdown, Hot Potato, Taxi, Made to Order and Rampage. These side missions tie into the main story and help unlock key bonuses such as garages, weapon/ammo caches, tuning shops and taxi points. Each side mission shows up on the PDA map and sends you an email once it is unlocked.

Wheelman is such a versatile game and action packed that people from Hollywood are trying to develop a script for its movie adaptation. Everyone should keep in mind that it was the game that came first. Currently, the movie is considered as a completely separate entity, which confuses many people. Look out for this game at the end of March 2009, as well as the game-based-movie later on.

Watch the trailer here.

One day I was sitting down at my desk and turned on my laptop. I was looking for a file when I realized I had lost it and could not recover it. It tought me a valuable lesson and that was to never delete a file because it might be important later on. That lesson got thrown out the window when I realized that I had too many files piling up and slowing down my computer. So I decided to install a program to help me recover deleted files if I ever needed them again. Microsoft Windows Vista creates shadow copies of every files you have and Ultimate utilizes it to recover them if you need it. Other version of Microsoft Windows Vista cannot recover it, unless you download another 3rd party program like ShadowExplorer or a file recovery utility such as Recuva.

ShadowExplorer

ShadowExplorer as I mentioned before allows you to browse the shadow copies created by the Windows Vista Volume Shadow Copy Service. It needs time to get going so don’t start deleting files as soon as you download it. What this program does is creates a copy of your hard drive for one day and you’ll have to access the deleted file from this day.

ShadowExplorer

This program is a great free alternative to the more expensive programs because it organizes your files at that specific day much better than most. Other programs tend to just show all the deleted files that can include internet cache stuff which is useless.

Recuva

Strangely enough, Recuva, is pronounced “recover” but who cares in my opinion because it is free. The problem I find with this type of recovery utility is the fact that it has to scan your whole hard drive, and not all of the files it finds can be recovered. It also names them different so you have to sift through the different files very carefully.

It is better than ShadowExplorer because it helps bring back files that were lost through a virus, bug or crash which ShadowExplorer doesn’t do as well at. It takes up a small area of your hard drive and you won’t lose much CPU when you run it but that comes with its drawbacks. It’s much slower at finding files because it has to scan whereas ShadowExplorer can almost instantly show you your hard drive at a certain date. The interface is slightly more refined but still equally usable.

Conclusion

Both of these programs will get the job done but offer two different ways to do it. Personally my bet is on ShadowExplorer but it’s better to be safe then sorry sometimes, so why not download both.

Apple has its App Store and when Google released the G1 phone, it also released the Android App Market. What happened when Microsoft released its Windows Mobile OS, well I think you know the story. It might just be a reason why Windows phones don’t sell as well as they used to. Well, now the story is about to change with the release of Windows Marketplace hopefully by the end of the year. 

If you are a developer, expect Microsoft to start accepting registrations for a developer by Spring, mobile applications in the Summer, and then if you’re a user, expect to see Windows Marketplace on your phone when Windows Mobile 6.5 ships later this year.

There are many things alike between Apple, Google and Microsoft when it comes to their respective application marketplace including the initial annual cost of $99 to be able to submit there applications, developers getting a 70% cut of their app sales and being able to set their app prices. There is a difference though and Microsoft gets the advantage here. Microsoft allows students to submit applications for free through the Microsoft DreamSpark Program whereas Apple charges the same for everyone except they charge more ($299) if you are a company with over 500 employees. 

Another big advantage Microsoft has if they continue on the right track, is they plan to make their approval process more streamlined. Apple has always been critized for the long process to get their apps approved and it is also very secretive. There have been stories where apps have mysteriously disappeared or were rejected without any reason. Microsoft plans to do the complete opposite by giving detailed feedback during and after the possible acceptance of their apps, having a more open system, and cutting down the time from submission to approval or rejection. In a statement by Microsoft, they said it wants developers to spend more time “writing innovative applications, and less time trying to navigate the approval process.”

Update: Blackberry is also planning to introduce its own App Store called App World but they are taking a slightly different approach. It will work with Blackberry devices running OS 4.2 or higher that either have a trackball or the Surepress touchscreen that is on the Blackberry Storm. Only available in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., Blackberry is aiming not at general consumers, but at the business market. You can register online to become a developer at RIM’s website. 

The biggest difference is the pricepoints that Blackberry will skip. It will offer some free apps, but will not offer any apps at the $0.99 and $1.99 pricepoint which is usually the price that the topsellers on the App Store is sold for. The bizarre thing is they will sell Apps for a price of $999, the price at which 8 people bought a useless app called I Am Rich. Will there be another one for Blackberry?

I’m not an expert at this subject but I’ve been through the whole struggle and now my battery life can only last about 10-20min give or take. Now the sad thing is, there is no Viagra type solution for these issues but there is a way to prevent your laptop battery from deteriorating at the beginning. I did not take any of what I’m about to tell you into consideration but I hope when you get a new laptop you take these seven things into consideration when you’re traveling and one thing that will extend the life of your battery.

• Turn Down Your Screen Brightness - Screen brightness is not a big deal yet it takes away a lot of battery power that can be put to better use (like playing games). This is very easy to do. All you’ll need to do in Microsoft Windows Vista is go to Control Panel–>Hardware & Sound–>Power Options and then on the left sidebar, click Adjust the display brightness. Here you can also tell the computer when to turn off the display and power off depending if you’re plugged in or not.

• Adjust the Computer Performance - Depending on what you’re doing while traveling, you might be able to sacrifice some performance to save some power. Microsoft Windows Vista has three plans that you can utilize: Power Saver, Balanced, and High Performance. I use Balanced most of the time, but there are times when I use the other two. You can tailor each of these plans to best suit your needs, but the one you should be focusing on is the Power Saver. Configure it so you’re using the least you can.

• Turn off Wi-Fi/Bluetooth – If you have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, turn it off. In most cases, you don’t need either of these because we have the Blackberry/Apple iPhone to do quick checks of email and such. It can be a real energy saver and can be as easy as flicking a switch off.

• Watch Movies/TV off Hard Drive – One secret a lot of people don’t know or might know and not really act on it, is the fact that the CD/DVD drive takes much more power then if you download and watch it directly. Now I’m not encouraging downloading from illegal sources, what I’m saying is you should take this into consideration when you go on your next trip

• Take Out the Battery – The reason my laptop has very little battery life is I now have it plugged in 24/7. This destroys the laptop battery and speeds up the process of aging because then the battery doesn’t have the chance to discharge so it loses it’s ability to hold a charge. A way to prevent this from happening is when you have your laptop plugged in all the time you remove the battery as it is not needed. When you hit the road, make sure to put it back in as well as double checking the battery is still charged.

• Cool Your Laptop Down – To keep the temperature down on your laptop, clean your air vents but to go even further you should have a laptop stand when you are working at your desk. Laptops in general work better when they are cooler and so letting the laptop have a room to breathe only helps that. A laptop stand kills two birds with one stone (not that you should literally do that in real life) because it provides you with an ergonomic keyboard.

• Don’t Multitask – Even in real life, multitasking can put a strain on yourself such as doing homework and watching TV (I know, I love it too) but if you’re trying to preserve your battery life, only do one thing at a time.