TechBait » Techbait Homegrown

Android Applications Move to SD Card

Tom — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:30:55 +0000

The biggest news for many developers and users in the Android smart phone community this week is the rollout of the latest Android OS, version 2.2 or “Froyo”, and it’s support for moving certain applications, or apps, to the external SD card. One of the issues that have plagued owners of the Motorola Droid and some other phones is the small amount of internal storage capacity that the phones have shipped with. The Droid, for example, only provides a paltry 512mb ROM/256mb RAM, which sounds like a lot until you start installing large multi megabyte (20+ megabyte) game apps. You can quickly run out of storage space. Add to this the tendency for the phone dialer storage to fill with the increase in text and multimedia messages, you you have a recipe for frustration on the part of many Android users.

Well, the one caveat to this is that the apps have to be enabled to be moved to the SD card. Google has left it up to the app developers to decide if this is feasible. At first I thought this was bad, and I heard some chatter that the reason this wasn’t allowed is the fear of apps on SD cards leading to piracy, but the technical reason that this makes sense is that there are some apps that should not be moved since the SD card bing unmounted and removed could pose problems in some case. For a list of apps that should NOT be moved to external storage, check this link. Anyway, in searching I found a nice little article explaining to developers how to enable their apps for this handy feature. If your app does not really need to be in internal storage, please enable it to be moved and let the user decide where they want it. In time this feature won’t be as necessary as memory prices drop and more phone come with oodles of internal storage, but for now at least, having as many apps as possible allowing this feature is in the best interest of the Android user community. Developers might also want to note that if they are stubborn in allowing this feature when there is no sound technical reason for not doing so, many users will just uninstall their app and look for movable alternatives.

Android 2.2 Froyo is here

Tom — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:00:21 +0000

Today my Motorola Droid greeted me with a system update. The Android OS went from 2.1 to 2.2 in an almost seemless upgrade to the OS. Some of my ringtones got messed up for some reason, but they were easy to reset. Two more desktops were added for more application shortcuts and widgets. The slide up app window was replaced with three buttons signalling instant access to phone, apps, or web browser. The whole thing moves faster now, and there are many other improvements inside. Lifehacker did a nice writeup on Android 2.2 new features. I have to say that the best feature for me, being the owner of a Motorola Droid with sparse internal memory, is the move to SD card feature for the apps. Unfortunately as of this writing, almost no apps have this support, including some vary large Google apps like Gmail and Google Maps and Sky, as well as large apps like Facebook and games. Hopefully over time developers will enable this feature in their apps, as Google has left it up to the individual app developers. Gizmodo also has a nice nitpicky general Android 2.2 Froyo review here.

IPv4 Private Subnets Defined

Tom — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:13:48 +0000

TCP/IP is used within corporate and other private networks. Address conflicts with Internet systems is something to be avoided, so non routable IP address ranges are used internally on private networks to prevent this and also for security reasons. An Internet based system cannot directly address one of these IP addresses. The non routable addressed systems are allowed to access the Internet through NAT or a proxy system.

The non routable IP address ranges are:

Class A: 10.0.0.0 – 10.255.255.255

Class B: 172.16.0.0 – 172.31.0.0

Class C: 192.168.0.0 – 192.168.255.255

Motorola DROID hangups and bugs

Tom — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 23:58:22 +0000

I recently bought a Motorola DROID smart phone on the Verizon Wireless network. The phone seems to be very durable, and the Android operating system is a wonderful competitor to Apple’s iPhone. There are a growing number of apps available for these phones, with some notable ports of iPhone apps to the Android platform. There are some weaknesses of the Motorola DROID phone that potential customers should know about. The ones that I have stumbled upon are that text messages get deleted often by the phone, even when the auto delete setting is switched off, the fact that the phone has pathetically small internal memory for apps (about 256 megabytes, which is pathetic), and that multimedia messages take up so much internal memory that you might end up deleting apps just so that the phone dialer storage doesn’t run you into the wall when its growth runs wild, and vanishing bluetooth devices.

Text message threads are set to auto delete when they hit a certain number of messages. You can alter or turn off this default behavior in the test message app settings, but it will eventually delete them anyway. It happened to me several times and it is happening to others our there. The only thing you can do right now is to install SMS Backup, a nifty free app that will copy your text messages to your Gmail account for archiving. It works, and there are paid apps that will also do this for multimedia messages (picture and video containing messages).

The Motorola DROID has a pathetically small internal memory of 512 MB, half of which is available for apps. To add insult to injury, Verizon is advertising that phone as having 16GB of memory due to the micro SD card that they ship with. The problem is that Google has made it so that only internal phone memory is available for app executables, and most apps are made in a way that they use the internal memory for everything, so if you install many apps you run out of memory pretty quickly. Regular apps are small, but install a few games or some data crazy apps and see how far you get. Shame on Motorola for cheaping out on memory, Verizon for false advertising, and Google for not allowing some more leeway for using the SD card for applications, although they cite security and piracy concerns.

The “phone dialer storage” app seems to store data of some sort on the phone, and it tends to runaway with itself as you create more message threads, especially those rich with photos or video attachments. The obvious cure would be to delete the photos and other attachments or purge your text messages every so often, which works up to a point, but I found that my phone dialer storage held it’s data cache even after I purged. The phone got sluggish and rebooted itself a few times too. Finally after one spontaneous reboot, the cache was somehow purged. Perhaps there is some internal software setting that does this, but it’s VERY annoying and not a graceful way to go about it. The best thing that Android users who hit their phone’s memory limits can do in the meantime is to get an app management application which allows them to shuffle apps around from the SD card back to phone memory. What this means is that you have to archive the app to the SD card and then uninstall it through the management app. If you want to use it later you can reinstall it from the archived copy. This allows you to archive those many megabyte game apps that you might not use everyday but don’t want to ditch for good. It’s a compromise but it works.

My bluetooth ear piece, a Samsung WEP470, occasionally vanishes from the phone. Usually rebooting the ear piece fixes the problem, but I found that one time it did not. Sometimes turning the phone’s bluetooth on and off would fix the problem. One time nothing worked, and you could hear the incoming phone call beep in the ear piece but when the call was answered no sound came through the ear piece. I thought the Samsung bit the dust and even started shopping for a new one. I tried a shot in the dark approach of turning the phone off and removing the battery for a few seconds, about 10, and then powering it up again. My bluetooth ear piece now worked fine again. Go figure.

What is a VPN?

Tom — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 20:40:41 +0000

Have you ever wanted to communicate somewhat securely over a public network, like the Internet, in order to exchange confidential or sensitive information, passwords, or other data? You need a VPN to connect you from one point to another over the insecure public medium. This secure connection is the VPN, or Virtual Private Network. The VPN, whether purely software or by utilizing a VPN appliance device containing it’s own software, uses encryption software to construct a tunnel between the two points, thus allowing the user to exchange confidential information or sensitive login information between two points. VPN’s can also be useful for simply contacting your private network remotely, since you don’t want unknown entities to see your internal network infrastructure, hosts, or to sniff out your passwords.

On a similarly related line of thought, if you use UNIX or Linux, a good way to access your home network over the Internet from a remote point is to set up an SSH tunnel, where the Secure Shell is used to contruct a tunnel. You login to the remote UNIX or Linux host via SSH, and then you can launch graphical Xwindows applications using an SSH tunnel. You can do this from a Windows client by using the Cygwin or other software which allows one to run POSIX, GNU, and UNIX/Linux utilities on a Windows machine. You can do this from work if your network allows this sort of Internet access. It is handy to be able to access your home UNIX/Linux server over an SSH tunnel.

$ ssh -X u...@server.homenetwork.com
$ ssh -X user@

You can requests compression of all data to improve up user experience (good for a low speed link such as wan link) using -c option:

$ ssh -c -X user@

You can then run any Xwindows application on the remote xterm by simply typing the program executable name followed by the ampersand to spin it off into it’s own process ID. You can also run an entire desktop like KDE, Gnome, or the default Xwindows desktop with the startx command.

Solaris Disk Slice Numbering

Tom — Thu, 06 May 2010 20:50:43 +0000

The root partition on a Solaris system is defined as Slice 0, and is mounted as root (/). This is the top level of the filesystem. In computer parlance root starts at the top, but if you look at it as a biological tree is grown, from the bottom up, it also makes sense as the origin of the filesystem.

Slice 1 is used for swap space, which is virtual memory. Some operating systems, like Windows, use a swap file, while UNIX and UNIX like filesystems use an entire partition for swap. The size of swap is reliant on how much physical memory is in the system. There are various formulas for how large to make the swap area. Some go for twice to twice plus half of physical memory, and some prefer larger in case physical memory increases. You can always add extra swap partitions in the future if they are needed.

Slice 2 is representative of the entire disk and is not mounted as anything.

Slice 3 is mounted as /export in the default setting. Directories exported via NFS, such as user HOME directories, are kept here.

Slice 4 is mounted as /export/swap. This is meant to provide virtual memory for client computers. It can also be mounted as /opt for optional software.

Slice 5 is usually mounted as /opt, for optional software that is not critical to the functioning of the system. If /opt is on Slice 4 then /var is what resides on Slice 5.

Slice 6 is mounted as /usr, which contains libraries and binary files that are used by regular system users. The /usr partition is shared between systems.

Slice 7 is mounted as /home, /export home, or /export/share. This holds user home directories or other shared data.

ARP Cache Poisoning Prevention

Tom — Thu, 06 May 2010 20:34:36 +0000

In computer networking parlance, ARP stand for Address Resolution Protocol. Well, this tells us that computer addresses are being resolved via some sort of lookup table. The ARP cache is what translates IP (Internet Protocol) addresses to hardware MAC (Media Access Control) addresses within a TCP/IP network. ARP replies can be spoofed easily if one of your network;s systems are compromised. The compromised system can spoof other systems on the network. The spoofing is when the target machine receives faulty information linking an unsafe MAC address to a local IP address. The preventative measure (UNIX and *NIX) is a list of trusted systems that is hard coded into the /etc/ethers (or equivalent) file where the true MAC addresses are mapped to the true IP address, preventing the ARP protocol from overriding this information. The file needs to be updated if a network card is changed since every networked device must have a unique MAC address.

Archos Slate (tablet) computer contains Android OS

Tom — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:27:28 +0000

The Archos 5 is a slate computer that competes in the same market segment as Apple’s iPad and HP’s Slate computer which runs Windows. The Archos is a nifty gadget because it is compatible with the Android marketplace apps and is essentially backed by Google’s massive software effort. It is larger than a phone and makes for a great WiFi Internet device when home or have access to a WiFi hotspot. As anyone knows, the small screens on most smart phones are woefully inadequate for real web surfing, and the Archos and other similar devices provide a larger screen and more memory for a fuller Internet experience. While it is true that this device would be better if it had 3G capability like the iPad or other devices in this segment, perhaps the Archos makers know that most gadget freaks already have 3G smart phones and this is yet another tool that the true gadget freak will have in their technology bag of fun.

Useless chat session with Dell

Tom — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:18:10 +0000

I was trying to ascertain if an Inspiron 560 with an Intel 5400 CPU had the VT-x extensions. Some part numbers of that CPU have it and some do not. Well, if there is any more proof that outsourcing your customer service or chat staff is an utter failure, read on.

Time	Details
04/29/2010 12:56:53PM	Session Started with Agent (BE_HY_Mehboob_Irshad)
04/29/2010 12:56:57PM	Agent (BE_HY_Mehboob_Irshad): “Hi Tom”
04/29/2010 12:57:02PM	Agent (BE_HY_Mehboob_Irshad): “Welcome to Dell’s US Sales Chat! I hope you are doing well and thank you for waiting. My name is Irshad and you can reach me at 1-**--** at extension: 4166735 & my e-mail id is mehb...@dell.com.I will be your Sales advisor.”
04/29/2010 12:57:02PM	Tom: “Hi”
04/29/2010 12:57:27PM	Agent (BE_HY_Mehboob_Irshad): “:)”
04/29/2010 12:57:37PM	Tom: “Does the processor included with the Inspiron **** support Intel VT-x extensions?”
04/29/2010 12:57:39PM	Tom: “Intel® Pentium® dual-core E5400(2.7GHz,2MB L2,800MHz)”
04/29/2010 12:57:51PM	Tom: “or “Windows XP mode” in Windows 7?”
04/29/2010 12:58:04PM	Agent (BE_HY_Mehboob_Irshad): “I would be glad to assist you.”
04/29/2010 12:58:16PM	Agent (BE_HY_Mehboob_Irshad): “There are several instances where chats get disconnected (we don’t disconnect you on purpose), just in case this happens, what phone number can I reach you at?”
04/29/2010 12:58:21PM	Tom: “Intel has several models of that CPU. some do, some don’t and I need to know if the ones Dell is shipping have that processor virtual extensions support”
04/29/2010 12:59:11PM	Tom: “**--**”
04/29/2010 12:59:35PM	Agent (BE_HY_Mehboob_Irshad): “for the XP mode you need to have a professional or an ultimate”
04/29/2010 12:59:54PM	Tom: “I’m talking hardware support in the CPU”
04/29/2010 12:59:59PM	Agent (BE_HY_Mehboob_Irshad): “- Professional is for customers that may use their PC at home and at work. Includes all the multi-media and entertainment features of Windows® 7 Home Premium plus business relevant features like Location Aware Printing and Windows Mobility Cente”
	r Presentation Mode.
04/29/2010 01:00:05PM	Agent (BE_HY_Mehboob_Irshad): “- Ultimate is for the customer that values it all – the multi-media benefits of Home Premium plus the business features of Professional. Ultimate also include a MUI language pack for regions where multiple languages may be required on a single P”
	C.
04/29/2010 01:00:08PM	Tom: “That machine comes with the E5400″
04/29/2010 01:00:28PM	Tom: “I need to know is the E5400 included with currently shipping Inspiron ****’s have the Intel VT-x support”
04/29/2010 01:00:47PM	Tom: “Intel says some do some don’t according to: http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=40478#specs“
04/29/2010 01:00:59PM	Tom: “I need to know which ones come with the currently shipping Dell machines”
04/29/2010 01:02:02PM	Agent (BE_HY_Mehboob_Irshad): “Let me check that here on my system. Please give me 2 minutes while I do that”
04/29/2010 01:02:09PM	Tom: “ok”
04/29/2010 01:06:36PM	Agent (BE_HY_Mehboob_Irshad): “Please click on the following link & check the system which comes with the Intel® Pentium® Dual-core E5400(2.7GHz,2MB Cache) processor”
04/29/2010 01:06:44PM	Agent (BE_HY_Mehboob_Irshad) sends page: “http://www.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/global/products/ltd/en/us/dhs/inspiron_560_ddcwab21?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&redirect=1“
04/29/2010 01:07:34PM	Agent (BE_HY_Mehboob_Irshad): “You have the option to upgrade the OS to professional for $**** more in the customizing options”
04/29/2010 01:08:20PM	Tom: “yes but that doesn’t tell me if the particular E5400 CPU that Dell is putting in those systems have Intel VT-x support.”
04/29/2010 01:08:26PM	Tom: “this has NOTHING to do with the OS”
04/29/2010 01:08:30PM	Tom: “this is hardware”
04/29/2010 01:08:56PM	Tom: “the only reason I mentioned Windows XP mode is that that requires VT-x support in the CPU”
04/29/2010 01:09:23PM	Tom: “I gave you a link to Intel where they show that there are several part numbers for that CPU where some support VT-x and some do not”
04/29/2010 01:09:46PM	Tom: “I need to know if anyone at Dell can tell me if the currently shipping Inspiron ****’s with that CPU have the VT-x support”
04/29/2010 01:13:04PM	Agent (BE_HY_Mehboob_Irshad): “ok , the VT-x would be there be the business site”
04/29/2010 01:13:18PM	Agent (BE_HY_Mehboob_Irshad): “it is not on the home side”
04/29/2010 01:14:38PM	Tom: “ok so nobody knows – I guessed as much”
04/29/2010 01:14:44PM	Session Ended

Well, there you go, an utter waste of time…..

Thanks Dell, you lost a potential sale…

HP buys Palm

Tom — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 23:43:15 +0000

Hewlett Packard plans to buy Palm for (Dr. Evil voice) one BILLION dollars….. in cash. I guess by laying off all those HP workers, closing all those offices, and offshoring so much work to India and China has enabled the “deep pockets” that HP sports. Well, I guess this gives HP more of an “in” in the mobile phone market, but I still say Android is where it’s at these days. I have no experience with the Web OS that runs some Palm devices, and I know that some swear by it…. I guess we’ll see. It’s nice to see Palm get saved, but as with any acquisition all of those peripheral accounting, HR, IT and other jobs are gone….