Symbian Mobile Phone Blog

Thinking outside the search box

I remember when the idea of a search engine was a novelty. Maybe 12-15 years ago, when a new search engine (like dogpile or ask jeeves) came out it would generate a pretty substantial buzz, maybe even making it onto mainstream news sources. Now your website is basically trash if it doesn't include at least an internal search engine. The technology has just exploded to encompass multiple world wide web search engines, some with a specific focus or features that others don't have.

One thing that's missing from most of the engines I've checked out, however, is a graphical interface. Digg Labs has some great visualizations but they're not really a search engine and, although the visualizations provide much-needed respite from the monotony of text-only listings (that's one reason I dis prefer reddit as a news source) they don't really add functionality to your search options.

What about a fresh approach, something new?  Check out the Your Ergo! It's actually a download-able program. Mostly I prefer to keep my bits and bytes on the web, with the notable exception of Google Earth. But Ergo's search engine is worth installing an extra program. It's a perfect match between eye candy and functional efficiency. The download is free, but if you need support you'll most likely have to fork over some cash. But it's so easy to use, unless you confuse a laptop with a waffle maker you probably won't have any difficulty.

This is truly a revolutionary program and if you use it to its full potential it has the potential to enhance the way you interact with the world wide web and your home PC. Unfortunately, no Mac or Linux version seems to be available, but perhaps that will change in the future. Happy searching!

My Trip To Israel - Thinking About Telecommunications

Lately I've realized that I need to go off the grid. I had this really bad cell phone that doesn't work half the time, and I needed to charge it up pretty frequently. I lost it at the worst time possible- I was away from home, visiting friends I needed to contact. Luckily I remembered their numbers but I had to use a payphone.

Looking back on the experience and looking forward to a trip to Israel this summer, I am considering my options: I could buy another cell phone, pay the exorbidant full price or extend my contract another two years to get a discount. What a disaster, the cell phone company has me hostage. I could try to find a used phone but to find one with a simcard would be hard.

My only other options for telephone use are to get a prepaid phone or to get a phone card. The trouble with a prepaid is that I have no idea what the fine print of contracts says (I don't have time for such details) and I suspect that my minutes might wear down quickly.

If I had had a calling card when I lost my phone I would not have been under such duress as to need to withdraw cash from an ATM just to get change to use the phone. I would have felt a lot better knowing I have some way to make a phone call without asking to borrow someone else's.

I am planning a trip to Israel this summer and I will probably want to make at least a couple of phone calls while I'm there, although I usually don't make calls when I'm on vacation. Another problem with a prepaid phone is that I don't know whether it will work overseas. So I'm probably just gonna check out some international calling cards to see how expensive they would be. Probably not difficult to use and rather cheap in today's world of high connectivity and infrastructure.

Free Spyware and Virus Protection

Lots of times our problems in life are linked to one another.  Maybe one night you were feeling lonely and you decided to sign up for a free online Texas Hold ‘em Dating Service.  Trust me, there are plenty of those out there.  So you downloaded a program that had a nasty virus on it. The dating service mined all your personal data from your computer and now your arch-nemesis knows where your girlfriend lives.  He is planning to send her a box of wilted roses with your forged signature on the card for Valentine’s Day.  He has frozen your credit cards from an offshore location, and there’s also a flaming bag of dog poo on your front porch. 

Have you ever wondered where to download free Norton anti-virus programs?  If you had wondered that a little sooner your life would be in much better shape.  One thing leads to another, and if you don’t have your technological ducks in a row you can go from a bright, sunshiny day to a dismal day in the medieval Balkans very quickly.  Don’t let your skepticism or self-reliance stop you from downloading free Norton anti-virus software.  It will make your browser perform faster and your brow can take a break from its furrows. 

Alternatively, you could put your faith in open source firewalls or anti-virus protection.  Some of the programs even update their software from time to time, although there is no guarantee that you’ll be abreast of all the latest booby traps that hackers have cooked up. Our recommendation: if you use Windows or Macintosh, you’ll definitely want some commercially distributed security software. 

Cell Phone Dangers

Cell phones, like microwaves, haven't been around long enough to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that they are safe.  The following studies have linked cell phone usage to degraded health:

Cancer

The Institute for Environmental Medicine in Stokholm has proposed a 300% increased chance for the development of acoustic neuromas amongst decade-long cell phone users.

Brain damage

The Collaborative on Health and the Environment cites serious neuronal damage to rats when exposed to levels of cell phone radiation on a scale analogous to what humans routinely experience.

Infertility

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine recently revealed that cell phone use has a direct, sliding scale correlation with sperm count.  Men who use cell phones for more than four hours per day have up to a 25% decrease in sperm count.

Birth defects

The Biological Effects Laboratory in New Mexico cites various consequences of exposure to cell phone radiation that culminate in birth defects in pregnant females.  The exposure standard for their researchers is 100 times more stringent than the FCC's standard for civilian exposure.

Immune system changes

The Wiley Interscience Journal cites a study that determines elevation of PFC (antibody producing cells) count in response to exposure to low levels of cell phone radiation. 

Genetic damage

The Indian Journal of Human Genetics found “DNA migration” in 40% of the cell phone users they studied.

Sleep loss

MIT's Progress in Electromagnetic Research Symposium reported that cell phone radiation causes sleep deprivation by retarding the rate at which users move through the various stages of sleep.

Hopefully that's enough to make you think twice before strapping on a holster for your mobile phone.  Turn it off and stick it in a lead-encased desk drawer. 

Cell Phone Gripe - Practical Reasons to be Off The Grid

Lately I've been trying to brainwash myself.  That's the only way I can really make big changes in my life.  I think people who claim they have revelations, or epiphanies- life changing events- are really the ones fooling themselves.  At least I can admit it.  This time, I'm thinking I really should get off the grid.  Fuel consumption, cats or dogs, city or country, etc...not many other things can determine the short-term outcome of a friendship or marriage.  So can I find enough reasons to convince myself to dismiss the expensive, unnecessary cell phone that holds me down like a pin wherever I am?  At this point, I have made it clear to everyone I know that if they try to call me on my cell phone, I will have it with me.  That is truly the case- it is a modern-day runestone.  It connects me with my world like nothing else does, because of its high portability.

Cell Phone Eavesdropping

Most everyone - especially those who routinely deal with financial matters - uses a cellular device on a daily basis.  Like facebook enthusiasts who post every personal fact from the color of their socks to their work phone, most of us probably speak freely when we’re on our mobile devices.  My advice: chat at your own risk. 

Microsoft Sucks!

They do, seriously!  I wouldn't buy a Windows Mobile device of any kind to save my life.  I only use Windows when absolutely necessary, and I much prefer Ubuntu when doing development work (although as long as I have access to the same tools, I can be productive in either environment).  The rolling green pasture background really wears on me though.  It makes me want to yak when I see it.

If you look at the culture within the company, the reasons for the quality of this software sucks.  Go read what Joel Spolsky's written about software development.  He worked on the Excel team at Microsoft and spent many years in the trenches and he's been ranting himself about them ever since.

Operating system design should focus on the users first and foremost.  This is especially true of mobile devices.  Its bad enough trying to type up text messages on a standard 12-button keypad, then to bury the options that you want deep in the menu system can cause a lot of frustration.  Granted, most Windows Mobile phones have more than 12 keys (I was mostly referring to more traditional cell phones).

When the OS gets bloated as its trying to support more features, things slow down or crash and it amplifies the constraints of mobile development.  What development efforts should do is focus on the most intuitive UI design (and I shutter when I think of the hours of wasted human labor that is spent trying to find things in poorly laid out interfaces) and lightest-weight execution possible.