Technology

Knockan Crag

/ General, Photography, Technology, Travel / , ,

The exposed rock at Knockan Crag is extremely interesting as it distinctly shows two different geological layers.

20110822-200649.jpg

It is also unusual as the older rock is on top of a younger rock – this arises through tectonic movements over many hundreds of millions of years.

There is a visitor centre and a well illustrated walk up the hillside to what is called the Moine Thrust, where you can see and touch the rock layers,. From there you can continue up to a great viewpoint complete with benches to sit on and admire the view from. For more details on the Moine Thrust Belt go here to Wikipedia.

I tried out the Pano app from this viewpoint.

20110903-220132.jpg

I have only looked at the results on my small iPhone screen not on a bigger screen yet but the image on the iPhone seemed OK. The app was very easy go use – and fun. One thing to remember is if you manually select an exposure point then remember to set it on each of the mosaic images.

Other images from Knockan Crag

20110822-203150.jpg

20110822-203239.jpg

20110822-203605.jpg

Knockan Crag Read More »

eBook Reader?

/ Camping, Technology, Walking / , , , , ,

What device should I buy to read e-books on?

Last week I was talking with a backpacker about reading when backpacking. She had a real paper book with her, I had my iPhone and was reading two books on it. She then said she was thinking of buying a Kindle – and that got me thinking about what I would recommend for the job.
One consideration in this process is that the phone/smartphone is kept in the pack, ready for use as a phone – rather than running the battery down using it as a book reader.

So what are the requirements for a backpacker’s e-book reader?

* lightweight
* compact
* robust
* easy to keep dry
* versatile
* long battery life

So just looking at this I think I would reject the Kindle – and many of the other dedicated e-book reader devices.

* lightweight – most dedicated units are reasonably light, but not very light
* compact – they are about the size of a large paperback in area but thin. However there are not many models that are truly pocket sized.
* robust – and being thin I am not sure how it would pack. As you push that last stuff sack in the bag, will you break your e-reader?
* easy to keep dry – can you get a dry case (Aquapac) to fit it?
* versatile – some e-readers can be used to browse the web and have other functions but they are limited to doing one thing well
* long battery life – most e-readers make use of screens that consume very little power – this is their one big advantage

So, looking at my list I think a better device for a backpacker would be lightweight, truly pocket-sized and offer more functions than a simple e-reader.

I think that an Apple iPod Touch meets these requirements.

Using a program like Calibre and the iPod app Stanza you could load your own books and buy from some stores. You can buy books from the Apple store and use Apple’s reading app, or even load the Kindle app on the device! Several other booksellers have apps to access their catalogues, giving a very large choice of where you purchase your books.

The screen is small but extremely sharp and easy to read. Stanza also has a simple function to change the brightness of the page to match your surroundings.

An iPod is easily more flexible than a dedicated e-reader.

Leave your camera at home and use the one on the iPod. Same goes for video.

With an iPod you can get online at wifi access points, listen to music and of course there are many other apps that will interest you. However one thing to remember is “how much battery” this will consume. A Kindle has an incredibly long battery life for just reading books – an iPod Touch much shorter if you use it for lots of other things, longer if you use it only as a camera and book reader.

To make the iPod a better proposition you would need to extend the battery life – my son uses a battery pack he got from the supermarket with his iPod, and for my iPhone I have a battery jacket. I know a search of eBay will turn up many more ways to extend the battery life of an iPod (or iPhone).

There are several very good waterproof cases for the iPod and it is truly pocket sized, so you can keep it handy, get it out and read a book at your tea stop in the rain!

If you just want an electronic book reader – there is a good selection on the market, and if you must have one try Sony – they sell a pocket sized model. If you want a more versatile device, as well as a book reader, opt for the iPod Touch.

(Of course an iPhone will offer all the above, and be your phone, blog poster and GPS… and save on the weight of the mobile phone – just take another battery pack!)

This article is sponsored by Octagon Technology Lincoln, England

eBook Reader? Read More »

Documents To Go – iPhone

/ Technology / , , ,

I have just discovered something really annoying about Documents To Go on my iPhone 4. I cannot copy and paste information from Safari into a DTG spreadsheet. I also tried copying the same list from a GoodReader text file into the spreadsheet and that did not work either. I’ll have to get someone in the office to create the spreadsheet and put it in the drop box – I can then get it from there using Documents To Go.

The office versions offered in DTG are cut down versions but they have nearly all the functionality I need – if you are going to use this software then get the slightly more expensive Premium version so you can link it to your online storage and you get support for PowerPoint.

20110820-174809.jpg

I recommend this software to all our clients who want to use their iPhone or iPad for work (or other smartphone, my engineers use the Android version on their phones). My son has it on his iPod Touch for keeping up with his homework whilst away, without having to take a laptop. (He links to the internet via the personal hotspot on my iPhone when he is with me.)

Documents To Go – iPhone Read More »

The Speyside Way – day two

/ Camping, Outdoor Gear, Photography, Technology, Travel, Walking / , , , , ,

Had a good night at the site, it rained overnight but stopped before I got up for breakfast. Tried out “instant porridge in a bag” – making it in a mug is OK but then cleaning out the gloopy porridge afterwards is a chore. So my solution was put the instant oat breakfast, dried milk and sugar in a poly bag, and then use that as the bowl – and it was a success. Dirty bag in the bin afterwards.

20110818-090901.jpg

Crossing the Spey

20110818-092630.jpg

20110818-092828.jpg

Unlike yesterday the route today keeps reasonably close to the Spey.

20110818-142902.jpg

20110818-143030.jpg

20110818-143115.jpg

20110818-143447.jpg

The door was open at the distillery

20110818-143526.jpg

Below the foot bridge over the Spey at Aberlour – for me the end of a real good overnight trip. Now off to the cafe to await Diana and a ride back to Aviemore.

20110818-145821.jpg

The Speyside Way – day two Read More »

Do you use a PC?

/ Business, Technology / , , , , , , ,

I read an interesting article on the BBC news site last night – referring to Dr Mark Dean, who was part of the IBM team who worked on the first PC.

Read it here

I have been away on holiday now for over a week and have been able to keep up with my work from my iPhone:

* it is a phone – holding all my contacts database and client info (securely – you cannot take the SD card out of an iPhone)
* I keep up with my email on it

To the basic out of the box software I have added:

* Documents To Go (to deal with MS documents – opening and creating them)
* GoodReader for PDFs
* the files are kept online in my DropBox

Battery life can be an issue when camping. I have a cradle in the car which keeps the battery topped up when driving – and it plays the iPod in the phone through the car stereo. I have two extra batteries – a pocket sized, booster/recharge battery and an extended jacket battery.

20110814-100812.jpg

I also have a power inverter for use in the car so I can use the Apple plug to charge both of these batteries when camping – and at the house in Aviemore.

A complete office in my pocket – a small pocket today. In 1996 when we came away on holiday I needed a bigger pocket!

* Psion Series 5 PDA, with a box of spare batteries and a mains psu
* 56k dial up modem for use at the timeshare
* Ericsson SH888 mobile phone with a built in data modem – car charger and charger for the mains
* data stored on memory cards – I think I had a couple of 1 MB and 2 MB CF cards
* no media player but I did read books on the Psion

Other things I have used the iPhone 4 for this holiday

* Stanza book reader app – I have about three hundred books on the phone so I have plenty of choice
* It is the only camera I have with me – I use the built in camera app and I have purchased Camera+, I really like the split focus and exposure points in this app
* I have watched videos and listened to podcasts and audiobooks on it
* I have used Google maps, MemoryMap and Navfree for navigation – we found Jimmy Chungs in Edinburgh with it
* browsed the web in full colour and with video and sound – although I did not keep up with the news as it was Thursday when I caught up with the fact that Britain had suffered days of rioting!
* and I post to the blog using the WordPress app

So do I use a PC – yes – but do I always need it, no. The screen is small on the iPhone but iOS is more than capable of supporting my business – the bigger screen on the iPad would be good for some jobs but it is not pocket sized.

Replace my PC with an iPad. No I cannot do that, there is just so much software available for Windows OS and that’s what I need – the Windows PC strength is it’s flexibility. I know a number of people who have Mac books – who will tell me how great they are, impressive hardware, no viruses, etc etc etc, and in the next breath they ask, can I help them to set the Mac up to run Windows as the need to run some Windows software on it!

One final comment – my company supports PCs, so selfishly I hope they don’t disappear, but as it says in the article they are no longer the single driving force for technological change. At Octagon we support a variety of tablets and smart phones, as clients now have these devices and find them very convenient and with the latest OS releases very easy to use – also they are fun!

Do you use a PC? Read More »

Musselburgh and ADSL

/ Technology, Travel / , ,

You are not going to get the ADSL tech support story yet as my client has decided the best place for him to sort this issue is to take them to court. (See last Saturday’s post.)

So you will have to wait for the story about how she thought changing my Ethernet cable between the laptop and the router/modem would restore my Internet connection, I had an ASDL signal but no Internet!. There is more, a whole afternoon’s worth of pearls of tech support wisdom.

Now to better things – tea and teacakes (well Jeremy had a glass of girders) in the Burgh Cafe, Musselburgh. A real old fashioned cafe, well worth a visit.

20110808-151103.jpg
Bridge over the Esk at Musselburgh

Musselburgh and ADSL Read More »

New Printer for the Home and Office

/ Business, Technology / , , ,

We have replaced our office printer – with another HP. As I tell my clients, you are never disappointed with an HP printer.

I bought an HP Laserjet Pro CP1525nw – mainly because it has HP’s ePrint, which means it will work with my iPhone (and my son’s iPod).

HP-CP1525nw
HP LaserJet Pro CP1525nw

I installed it to our network, on a wire and disabled the built in wireless connection and fixed the IP to match the IP plan I have and so I can find it easier when I want to manage it. It has a slightly larger foot print than the old HP 2600n but we were still able to fit it in that space on the bench.

The ePrint servcies have to be installed via the internet, after the printer has been installed on at least PC on the network. The ePrint services give you far more than just iPhone printing – you can also send print jobs to the printer by sending an email to it. On installing ePrint you set up an account with HP, from there you get a secure email address for your printer and a management console for the service. For extra security you can alter the email address to be something very complicated and also limit what email addesses can send jobs to the printer (I did this). To print attach the file you want to print to an email, send it and get a notification email back telling you the job was a success. This opens all sorts of possibilities – we try and run a paperless office but we still need some things in print. Diana is looking forward to when she is working in Spain and is able to print something out in the office here and having it put in the post or on file.Printing from the iPhone works from any app that has a print option – there is an HP ePrint app, when that is installed it gives you many more options for printing.Anyone with an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad should get one of these printers. 

New Printer for the Home and Office Read More »