Ham Radio Burn Out

Sorry for not posting any new content here lately.

To be frank I’ve reached a point where I’ve burned out on ham radio and in particularly ham radio clubs.

Shortly after getting licensed in 2003 I found myself thrusted into club politics and president of a local club. For almost four years the club took over my entire free time. it’s not easy running a club.

in the process I let other areas of my life suffer. No more. this started to become not a hobby but a job.

I haven’t cared to turn on the HF rig since the PA QSO party, I haven’t even bothered to get my rig installed in the new car.

I’m sure one day the bug will bite again and I will want to throw a CQ out.

Just don’t know when.

Use your own number with some Google Voice features

Posted on // <![CDATA[// Oct 27, 2009 4:29 pm by Jeff Porten, Macworld.com

Google Voice users can now use their existing phone numbers with the service, which will come as good news to people who don’t want to give out a new number to all of their existing contacts. But there are some catches.

First off, this isn’t quite the same as transferring a phone number from one carrier to another; your number still works with your cell phone or landline. Instead, Google Voice will intercept calls going to voicemail, thereby providing you with transcription, e-mail integration, and the other goodies that Voice users have come to rely upon. Secondly, if you want to use call screening, forwarding to any phone, or other features of the service, you’ll still need to give out your new Google Voice-assigned number.

In either case, all Google Voice users can place outgoing calls, free to the US and Canada, and cheap elsewhere (but you’ll still burn cell minutes if you use your handset).

You’ll need an invite to get access to Google Voice, but invites have gone out to many existing subscribers, so ask your friends. If you want to use Google Voice voicemail, check Google’s supported carriers to make sure that yours is included (all major providers are).

Google has published a help page with details on how this will work after you activate the feature. Sadly, iPhone users won’t be able to use the handset’s Visual Voicemail feature if they activate this service, but apparently, you can turn the feature on and off on the fly, in case you find you prefer your phone’s integrated voice messaging.

Survey shows iPhone threatens BlackBerry; Palm holds steady

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-10384027-260.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Apple

A recent survey shows that while Research In Motion continues to lead as the smartphone of choice among consumers, Apple’s iPhone is quickly catching up.

ChangeWave Research on Tuesday released the results of its week-long September survey of 4,255 consumers, which showed that RIM retains its lead in smartphone ownership with 40 percent market share. That’s actually a dip of 1 percentage point since the last survey in June, and the lowest share RIM has registered in two years.

Despite having more models of smartphones, RIM is facing serious competition from Apple, whose iPhone has 30 percent market share among those surveyed. That’s an increase of 5 percentage points since June, when the new iPhone 3GS was released.

 

(Credit: ChangeWave Research)

Among the same group, Palm has maintained a 7 percent share since June. Though it didn’t see any growth even with the introduction of the Palm Pre and more recently the Pixi, the two new WebOS-based phones are helping the company to not lose share. Palm has seen its market share of smartphone ownership erode steadily from its peak of 36 percent in June 2006.

When including all manufacturers, the smartphone market is clearly gaining momentum. ChangeWave reports that 39 percent of those polled in September now own a smartphone, an increase of 2 percentage points since June, but more importantly, double the ownership of consumers polled two years ago.

And that momentum is something that PC makers are taking notice of, according to research also released Tuesday from Gartner. The analyst firm believes that more PC makers will start making smartphones to tap into those consumer dollars being spent in that segment. There’s far more opportunity for them to court first-time smartphone owners than first-time laptop owners.

Smartphone revenue is expected to reach $191 million by 2012, which is more money than the $152 million users are expected to spend on laptops, according to Gartner. Apple, Sony, Dell, and Acer are the device makers that currently, or have announced they will, sell laptops as well as smartphones.

Brightkite 2.0 brings more privacy, social control

Posted on // <![CDATA[// Oct 27, 2009 10:35 am by David Chartier, Macworld.com

Location-based social networking service Brightkite recently gave its website a 2.0 makeover. Users now have per-post control over privacy and social broadcasting, and a new “friend/fan” model removes the pressure of having to accept requests from strangers. For iPhone and iPod touch users who take Brightkite on-the-go, these new features have also made it into a much-upgraded iPhone app.

Brightkite 2.0 for iPhone includes just about all of the service’s new features, including per-post privacy and social options, the new friend/fan system, and a better overall experience. New, unobtrusive buttons on each post and photo allow you to pick whether only your friends can see it, or whether you share with the public. You can also toggle whether each post gets syndicated to your Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr accounts, offering far more freedom over how much of your location-based adventures leak out to your other friends.

The new friend/fan system is likely to boost Brightkite activity, as it works a bit more like Facebook’s, and very much unlike Twitter’s. Much like in the real world, “friends” are two people who mutually follow each other, while “fans” are people who follow you, but for whatever reason, you do not (yet?) follow back. With this straightforward and more realistic system, you can either share your location check-in activity with the world (including fans), or only with friends, which will prevent both the public, non-Brightkite users, as well as Brightkite users who are fans, from seei ng anything.

Of course, Brightkite’s existing features are all still here and polished for the new version. The app can still automatically find your location, such as a Starbucks, a museum, or bar downtown, allow you to “check-in” to that location, and post text and photos about what you’re doing there. You can search for other locations and see what people are doing there, and find people in your area with similar interests or a sense of humor that may actually jive with yours.

Brightkite says there are ten other new features packed into version 2.0 for the iPhone, so there’s sure to be something for everyone. Both the service and iPhone app are free, and with all this simple-yet-powerful new control over your activity, you have even fewer excuses not to try it out.

http://www.macworld.com/article/143523/2009/10/brightkite_20_brings_more_privacy_social_control.html?lsrc=rss_news

eBay-toting iPhone users like to Buy It Now

Posted on // <![CDATA[// Oct 27, 2009 10:01 am by Scott McNulty, Macworld.com

eBay, the Internet’s garage sale or auction house, depending on your point of view, is reaping the benefits of having a free iPhone app. According to this Financial Times report, users of eBay’s iPhone app have spent over $400 million over a variety of items from the service. It seems that some people have even bought more expensive things like cars and a $150,000 boat, in addition to the more standard eBay fare of books and clothing.

Given the nature of eBay it makes sense that people are comfortable placing bids using a mobile phone: he who snoozes is out bid on that rare Star Trek coffee mug (not that I’m speaking from experience, but that mug would have looked totally sweet on my desk). Power eBayers are always on the look out for anything that can give them the edge they need to win an important auction.

Amazon, another Internet retailer you might have heard of, also has a free iPhone app. They aren’t willing to list how much folks have spent using it, but a company representative says they are “pleased” with how the app has been received. Another reminder that just because something’s free doesn’t mean it can’t make money.

http://www.macworld.com/article/143522/2009/10/iphone_ebay.html?lsrc=rss_news

Sprint plans to release Palm Pixi in mid-November

Posted on // <![CDATA[// Oct 26, 2009 3:55 pm by John Cox, networkworld.com

Editor’s Note: The following article is reprinted from Network World.

Sprint will release the second Palm webOS device, the Palm Pixi smartphone, on Nov. 15, priced at $100, after $150 in rebates.

The Pixi, unveiled in September, will be available with a two-year cellular contract. Sprint is offering a $50 “instant rebate” at the cash register, with a separate $100 mail-in rebate. The Pixi will be available at the carrier’s Website and retail stores, and also at Best Buy, RadioShack, and some Wal-Mart stores.

The Pixi offers a full, exposed QWERTY keyboard, and a multi-touch screen that is smaller than the one featured on its sibling, the Palm Pre, whose keyboard slides out vertically. The 3G phone lacks GPS and Wi-Fi, both of which are featured in the higher-end Pre.

Both phones run Palm’s webOS system software, which has gotten good reviews from early adopters. It marries a Linux kernel with the WebKit JavaScript and rendering engines. The combination lets Web developers use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create applications that install and run natively on Palm smartphones.

The gesture-designed UI is built around the metaphor of a deck of playing cards, letting users shuffle applications onscreen and navigate between them. Like the Pre, Pixi uses Palm Synergy to create a single view of the users’s information on Google, Facebook, and via Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync with Microsoft Exchange servers.

The result is a combined contacts list, different calendars that can be viewed separately or merged, and a messaging interface that brings together different e-mail systems, MMS and IM threads.

In addition, Pixi will add an integrated link to Yahoo, and to a user’s account on Facebook.

Sprint is promoting two main plans for the Pixi, and pitching them as much less costly then comparable AT&T plans for the Apple iPhone.

http://www.macworld.com/article/143503/2009/10/palm_pixi.html?lsrc=rss_news

Apple fixes iPhone ‘coma mode’ with OS update

By Matthew Broersma ZDNet UK
Posted on ZDNet News: Oct 13, 2009 5:09:45 AM

Apple has begun distributing an iPhone and iPod Touch software update that fixes several glitches in its recently released iPhone OS 3.1, including a bug that stopped the devices emerging from sleep mode.

When iPhone OS 3.1 was released in early September, users on Apple message boards immediately began reporting problems including reduced battery life, devices freezing or shutting down, and sluggish performance. Some users referred to the problem as “coma mode”.

According to Apple, iPhone OS 3.1.2, which began to be rolled out last week, fixes “coma mode”. The company also said in the statement accompanying the update that other fixed bugs include an issue that could interrupt cellular network services until the user restarts the device, and a flaw that could cause crashes during video streaming.

Read more of “Apple fixes iPhone ‘coma mode’ with OS update” on ZDNet UK. The update is available via iTunes.

Smartphone security threats likely to rise

(CNN) — Worms, spam, viruses and hackers — they’re not just for your desktop or laptop anymore. According to internet security experts they could be well on their way into your pocket or purse. The popularity of smartphones — like the Blackberry, iPhone, Palm and the emerging Droid — is on the rise and shows no signs of letting up. And that’s making the phones a sweeter target for online ne’er do-wells looking to, at the very least, cause mischief and, at worst, rip off unsuspecting phone owners. “It’s guaranteed that almost everything we see on a computer will show up on a smartphone — and some new things,” said Jake Widman, a San Francisco-based technology writer and analyst. http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/25/smartphone.security/index.html

Windows 7 Security Defaults Worry Experts

Corporate IT departments should be pleased with new security measures in Windows 7, but consumers are still at risk of getting hit by malware despite changes in the User Account Control (UAC) feature designed to help people be smarter when using applications, security experts say.

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-355252.html?tag=nl.e550

Gaping security hole in Time Warner cable routers

A gaping security hole in cable modems distributed to Time Warner/Road Runner customers could potentially be exploited remotely to access private networks and possibly capture and manipulate private data.

That’s the warning issued by David Chen, a blogger and start-up founder who discovered he could trivially access a customer’s of Time Warner’s SMC8014 series cable modem/Wi-Fi router combo by simply disabling JavaScript in the browser to access hidden features in the router’s admin interface.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=4702&tag=nl.e550