iPod Touch observations - ongoing

• How to select more than a single word but not all?  Answer
• How to go to a particular page in a long PDF?
• PRO:  Battery recharges very fast, consumption is reasonable

Window positioning with keyboard short-cuts

In Windows 7, when you press Windows key + arrow key, it resizes current window to maximized, minimized, or left half/right half which I find very useful for wide-screen monitors or laptops.

After switching from dual "square" monitors to a single wide-screen at work, I was looking for similar functionality with Ubuntu/Gnome.  Here's how to approximate the functionality:

1. System > Preferences > CompizConfig Settings Manager (install "compizconfig-setting-manager" package if menu item not available)
2. Under General Options > Key bindings tab, you can, for instance, set keyboard short-cuts for Maximize Window and Unmaximize Window.  I've mapped these to + up arrow key and + down arrow key, respectively
3. Enable the Put plugin (in the Window Management section) 
4. In the Bindings tab, in the Put within viewport section, I've mapped the various positions to + number on numeric keypad (e.g. Put Top is + 8)

FYI, usually is already mapped to your Windows key (for that style keyboard).


Some annoying gotchas:

• You can't reposition a window if it is Maximized (makes sense, but behaves differently than Windows 7)
• Certain applications (Thunderbird, Firefox, e.g.) refuse to be repositioned; they'll just jump back to their original position
• Put Center doesn't appear to work properly, even for windows that don't otherwise have problems being re-positioned

In comparison to the Windows 7 feature, the Put plug-in is not quite as good because it only repositions, but does not also resize the window to appropriate dimensions.

Mail filters and Linux email clients

I currently work in an environment where we are simply inundated with emails.  This comes from a desire to be more open and transparent but the vast majority of the emails are notifications from automated jobs, bounced emails, source repository check-ins, ...  Mail filters are essential so that the important emails can stand out.  Features of mail filters differs depending on the client used:

	Filter settings exportable/restorable?	Cross-client tags/labels?	Can create filter from existing message?	Can execute filters immediately on existing email?
Thunderbird	Yes, but Thunderbird profile directory is huge, containing mail for off-line browsing too	Yes (“tags”)	Appears to be No	Yes
Evolution	Yes	Yes (“labels”)	Yes	Yes, but execution is slow
Zimbra (web mail)	Appears to be No	Yes, but weird names (which can be renamed for Zimbra)	Yes	Appears to be No

Other considerations:

• Server-side filters are best (no need to have client program running to process incoming mail) but immediate execution (i.e. to act on an existing folder of email) is necessary
• Filters can move messages into client-side folders if the mail is of little interest, or server-side folders (for cross-client access). Note that it may be necessary to “subscribe” to server-side folders (e.g. in Evolution, Folders > Subscriptions). Using client-side folders will allow you to keep within your mail quota
• In Evolution, for filters to work the way you expect, Edit > Preferences > Receiving Options tab > check "Apply filters to new messages in INBOX on this server"

Observations about iPod Touch - second week

• PROS
• Does not complain about being low on memory (great compared to my HTC 6800)
• Great to have robust offline mail and calendar client
• CONS
• Lack of easy access to a file system is annoying
• Mute in one step?
• Editing dates in Calendar is not user friendly for all-day events (day of week not displayed?)

iPod Touch 4th generation - first week

I admit it:  I succumbed to Apple and purchased the latest iPod Touch recently.  Why?  My 3-year-old WM phone is extremely unreliable (i.e. flaky) and the battery life is poor.  Why not an Android phone?  The best Android 2.2 devices are still limited in Canada at this time and I didn't want to compromise.  Why not an iPhone 4 then?  I still think the iPhone will have certain hardware and software limitations, which Android devices don't have, and for the features that iPhone is currently the leader, an Android device will soon come out that will surpass.  Also, I did not want to commit to an associated 3-year data/voice contract to subsidize a new smartphone's cost, at this time.

My retail buying experience was poor, with the local Apple stores sold out of the 8 GB model and their staff telling me to come in when none would be available by the time I arrived.  At the suggestion of store staff, I purchased online from Apple which I should not have done:  Seems that Costco recently started to sell the 4th generation iPod Touch and there it is a couple dollars cheaper and comes with Costco's 90-day return policy for electronics.  However, delivery from the Apple online store was prompt, the device arriving in a few business days after my order.   

This is the second Apple product I've purchased (first being an Mac Mini, which was returned).  Again the packaging is like gift wrap rather than the industrial-style sealed plastic bags other electronics come in (like when you are buying frozen fish).  Immediately on powering the device, I didn't like that the connection to iTunes is required before proceeding further.

Make no mistake, in general I find the slick user interface light-years beyond the WM 6 user interface.  Some might call it eye candy but much of the UI magic provides important cues to the user and the navigation is intuitive.  However, I have some criticism: 

• hardware lacks a four-way navigation control.  Most of the time this is not something missed but essentially it forces the user to have both hands free to use the device.  Situations where alternative hardware navigation controls would be handy [ ;-) ]:  if you're on a bus holding onto a handle, or have a drink in your hand at a party, or carrying a baby!  I don't expect Apple to ever add this as Apple aims to have a minimalistic hardware design outwardly
• Quicktime launched in Safari is a less touch-friendly media player than The Core Pocket Media Player (TCPMP) 
• In comparision to my old WM device, I'm very surprised to find that iOS is slow to suggest words (for auto-completion) while the user types  
• There should be an Undo or confirmation in the default Mail program to prevent unwittingly Trashing mail; sure, you can pull it back out of Trash but it's just too easy to accidentally hit the Trash icon

Some bugs I found in the first week of using device and corresponding fixes:

• Summary list of mail items is present (including preview text) but mail content stops appearing when go to a mail item
• Configure to sync multiple Google calendars but sync doesn't appear to work even after killing the Calendar process and re-starting.  Fix:  Search for a calendar item you know exists and it seems to kick-start the sync or refresh process

Listened to Windows Weekly 175: Wrong Again Monkey Boy

• Netcast
• Comparison between China (accelerating development) versus United States (slow moving, a has-been?) and Google/Android versus Apple/iOS.  
• Google's Android Market is a "wild west" experience compared to Apple's App Store which is curated, consistent, and overall, a higher-quality experience.  However, the advantage for Google is the pace of development and change
• Google's Android Market can be viewed as being like YouTube where anything goes until it is reported as abuse or violation

Waiting for next cool gadget (definitely not like waiting for prostrate surgery appointment)

While I continue to suffer with the battery life of my 35-month-old Windows Mobile smartphone and look forward to getting an Android 2.2 device, I find it interesting that although members of our society feels like they are caught in a rat race, simultaneously we cannot wait patiently for the next new device. 

For tasks that need to get done, weeks seem to fly by while we are preoccupied with other things or procrastinating.  Outside, in our backyard, vegetables and weeds alike grow bigger with each passing day.  My wife's tummy is getting bigger.  On the other hand, I have a hard time keeping on top of all the things that need to get done.  And therefore the launch date of the next cool gadget will be here sooner than we think.

Here's to Android 2.2 in Canada, here before I'm ready  :-)