dabase dabase.com http://dabase.com/ Blogging UK G1 experiences ikiwiki 2010-02-08T10:53:12Z Nexus One http://dabase.com/android/Nexus_One/ 2010-02-08T10:53:12Z 2010-02-04T22:59:56Z <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hendry/4327642576/" title="Kai has the passion"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4060/4327642576_716645fee8_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Me and my new Nexus from around the world" /></a></p> <p>So I bought the new <a href="http://www.google.com/phone">http://www.google.com/phone</a>, the Nexus One at 365.21GBP. Deep breath.</p> <p>I'm still on the last couple of months of my T-mobile G1's 18 month contract. Nonetheless, I've sent my G1 to my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/juttahendry/">sister</a> in Germany and hopefully she will get some use out of it.</p> <p>I plan to end my contract with T-mobile and go on some PAYG plan, hopefully with <a href="http://online.vodafone.co.uk/dispatch/Portal/appmanager/vodafone/wrp?pageID=MI_0004">Vodafone</a>. I bet you ending my T-mobile contract and porting my number will be an ordeal. <img src="http://dabase.com/./smileys/sad.png" alt=":(" /></p> <p>Talk about ordeals... the device took 16days to arrive, because Google's fulfillment house in Indiana accidentally routed the N1 to Hong Kong. Google's "Android support" customer services is absolutely abysmal. I contacted them three times via Google checkout to tell them they have screwed up the package routing. I basically only got through to them via an old University friend who now works at Google. Shame. <img src="http://dabase.com/./smileys/sad.png" alt=":(" /></p> <p>So the Nexus One(N1)! What do I think about it? It feels like a great upgrade over the G1. The 1Ghz <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snapdragon_(processor)">Snapdragon</a> amazed me awhile back on the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hendry/3775427226/">Toshiba TG01</a>, so at last I have it! <img src="http://dabase.com/./smileys/smile.png" alt=":)" /> However the battery performance seems on par with the G1. Sigh.</p> <p>Despite a looming <a href="http://googlenexusoneboard.blogspot.com/2010/02/new-software-update-for-nexus-one.html">Nexus One update</a> I though I'd rather be in control and hence I <a href="http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php/Full_Update_Guide_-_Nexus_One_Firmware_to_CyanogenMod">unlocked my Nexus One</a> and "voided my warranty". I think it's a bit poor that I've voided my warrany because I want different software on it. I don't "void the warranty" if I put Linux on my Thinkpad, now do I?</p> <p><a href="http://twitter.com/cyanogen">Cyanogen</a>'s beta4 N1 mod is pretty wild. The USB tethering feature is a <strong>must</strong> for me and it works far better than <a href="http://dabase.com/./android/Android_3G_wifi_tethering/">Android 3G wifi tethering</a>. Just turn it on, and <code>ifconfig -a</code> shows <code>usb0</code>. <code>dhclient usb0</code> and you're surfing on 3G. Why do operators make it so hard?!</p> <p>Since I'm into <a href="http://whatwg.org/html5">HTML5</a>, I'm greatly enjoying using <a href="http://gmail.com">http://gmail.com</a> and Calendar in the browser. It works amazingly well. I'm going to try avoid using the native Gmail client, though the native's 4 day background syncs are hard to beat.</p> <p>I'm a little <a href="http://twitter.com/kaihendry/status/8642122287">worried about the quality of the 3G connection</a>. The <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/01/26/nexus_one_3g_patch/">3G scare stories</a> don't help, though tbh I think the connection is the same as the G1. It's just that since the phone is so much faster, the failings of UK mobile connectivity are even more clear to see. <img src="http://dabase.com/./smileys/sad.png" alt=":(" /></p> <p>You can upgrade your phone, but can you upgrade your connectivity? Well since my phone is unlocked I'll have to do some <a href="http://dabase.com/./android/Android_3G_wifi_tethering/">mobile speed testing</a> again.</p> <p>UPDATE: Checkout <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/technology/companies/13google.html">http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/technology/companies/13google.html</a></p> <p>I also heard Google is giving out N1s at developer meets. Ah great, they know how to satify paying customers.</p> Scan with your mobile http://dabase.com/android/Scan_with_your_mobile/ 2009-08-23T17:04:20Z 2009-08-23T15:20:27Z <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hendry/3848844048/" title="Scan with your mobile by Kai Hendry, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3420/3848844048_123e5e9f56.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Scan with your mobile" /></a></p> <p>Whilst passing through Waterloo station, I usually buy some fresh fruit juice from the Marks&amp;Spencers (M&amp;S) store. This time I noticed my bottle had some sort of 2d barcode on it.</p> <p>I spent a few uncomfortable minutes trying and trying again to scan the code with the "Barcode Scanner" application on my Android G1. Didn't work. <img src="http://dabase.com/./smileys/sad.png" alt=":(" /></p> <p>Later I <a href="http://2d-code.co.uk/marks-and-spencer-2d-code">found out</a> that this a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_matrix_%28computer%29">Data Matrix code</a> and not a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code">QR code</a>. ARGH!</p> <p>Unsurprisingly 'Data Matrix' support is 'alpha' quality according to the <a href="http://code.google.com/p/zxing/">ZXing library</a> powering the Barcode application on the UK T-mobile Android G1.</p> <h1>WAP is CRAP</h1> <p>In the small print it says <strong>WAP enabled mobiles only</strong>. Eh? Have I gone back in time 8 years? To add insult to injury there is a link to the T&amp;Cs: <a href="http://www.mands.mobi/ftg">http://www.mands.mobi/ftg</a> worryingly using a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DotMobi">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DotMobi</a> address!</p> <p><a href="http://www.mands.mobi">http://www.mands.mobi</a> reveals some suspects to this crime: <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&amp;q=Incentivated&#39;s+WAPsite+Publisher">Incentivated</a></p> <pre><code>Welcome to Your M&amp;S Our new corporate mobile internet site is coming soon. Please check back later Site built using Incentivated's WAPsite Publisher </code></pre> <p>OMG. How piss poor M&amp;S. <img src="http://dabase.com/./smileys/sad.png" alt=":(" /></p> <h1>2d codes suck too</h1> <p><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/UPC-A-036000291452.png" alt="barcode" /></p> <p>Regular <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcode">barcodes</a> are OK in my book, because they have a <strong>human readable</strong> 13 digit fall back (036000291452) running along the bottom. I remember when 'Checkout dollies' (as we call them in the South West), typed in that that number in case the <strong>barcode failed to read</strong>.</p> <p>Where is the fall back to 2d codes??</p> <p>As a 2d-code fallback I suggest clearly printing a short (hopefully meaningful) URL e.g. <code>m&amp;s.co.uk/oj</code> (12 characters) and markup your content in <a href="http://www.whatwg.org.com/html5">HTML5</a>.</p>