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Windows on my iPad via Parallels 6

After dismissing the nag screen once again, I decided that I would upgrade my Parallels installation to version 6.

I generally don’t have problems with Parallels on my Mac, but thought that the performance improvements would be nice. I also want to try out the iPhone/iPad App and see if that would allow me to access a Java application that I need to use for work.

It was pretty easy to set up, requiring a login of my Parallels account on both the Mac and the iPad. And though Windows 7 is not designed for a touch interface, at least if needed I can access Windows through my iPad!

The key test will be over wifi outside my home network and over 3G. In the olden days in my previous job, I would VPN into my office network and use Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection to connect to my office PC when I was out on the road with my (then) PowerBook. Use to do that to find old e-mails and files. Also used the VPN so I could watch BBC News on the website when I was on a trip to Finland.

Now I have a fast broadband connection at home I hope that I will find less latency problems that I had with the VPN and RDC method.

One side effect of the installation was finding out the number of virtual machines on my iMac. More than I thought I had, so a fair few were culled.

Will use it a little more and see what improvements there are with version 6.


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Not available On iPad or my TV!

I do like BBC iPlayer and I like how it allows me to watch BBC programmes when and where I want to…

Well nearly…

There are still a fair few programmes that are only available through a traditional web browser and are not available via my iPad, my TV (which has BBC iPlayer access built in) or to download.

So for example on my iPhone there are only three films available to watch.

However via my web browser I can see six films including National Treasure: Book of Secrets which isn’t available on the iPhone.

The reason is not technical, but a rights issue. Most new BBC programmes are available in many different ways via BBC iPlayer, this is because the BBC has secured the rights to do this from the production company (that makes the programme) and (probably) the talent in the programme.

Older programmes that are repeated were made at a time when BBC iPlayer was either not technically viable or wasn’t even a consideration or who would know what was possible in the future… so such rights would not have been secured.

With films such as National Treasure: Book of Secrets when the BBC “buys” the film for showing on their channel, they don’t necessarily also buy the rights for mobile distribution or download. This means that the film is only available via the web browser. Some films won’t even be available via iPlayer.

So the solution? Well unless I go and buy the film or programme in iTunes, I will either have to watch it when it is broadcast, on my computer or record it.

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Where are my Comic Life Styles?




Comic Life is a great app for creating comics very simply, quickly and uses a drag and drop interface.

I recently upgraded my Mac version of Comic Life to version 2 and one “change” was starting to annoy me.

In version 1 when you created a title you could then select from a drop down list and choose from a variety of styles (the deluxe version had many more than the “free” version that came with many Macs and I how I was introduced to Comic Life.

Plasq were in the Mac App Store from day one with Comic Life 2 and though I could have upgraded to 2 (as I have version 1) I decided to purchase and install Comic Life 2 via the Mac App Store. I mainly did this as it was much easier and quicker than trying to upgrade, I wanted updates to be easier and also I could in future install on other Macs as you can with apps from the Mac App Store.

With version two though when I started to use it I was very disappointed to find that the variety of styles you got with version 1 appeared to be missing in version 2!

I did try and search the FAQ, help and support without much success. I looked through the menus, and though there was a way of importing styles…

I had no idea what file I would be looking for or where I would get such a file.

After pretending to ignore the problem… I decided that there must be a way and after a recent update and still seeing no styles I decided to search and dig a little deeper and possibly even post to the Plasq forum.

In the forum though I did find a reference to styles in Magiq, that said.

When you start Comic Life Magiq – make sure you choose the Deluxe Styles template from the Template chooser. Otherwise you will just end up with a blank template with no styles.

Hmm….

Tried that with the Template Chooser and yes there are lots of styles in there….

Now the next question is how do you export those styles for use in other templates?

Well that was answered by the help in the end.

Choose Format->Import Styles.... A file browsing sheet appears. Locate and select the comic that has the styles you wish to import and click "Import." The styles are added to your comic.

In other words you import an actual comic you’ve created to add the styles to your new comic.

All starts to make sense now…

Okay back to creating comics.

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Wasn’t Gingerbread…

So there was me thinking I was due an update to Android 2.3 for my Google Nexus One, otherwise known as Gingerbread…

However no it wasn’t.

It was only an update to 2.2.2

Disappointed, well not really, I can wait…

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Gingerbread for the Nexus One

Well my Google Nexus One told me today that a system update was available. I couldn’t upgrade as I was only on a GPRS connection and really you should be on wifi or a decent 3G connection, no really you should be on wifi!

I am assuming and hoping it is Gingerbread, or Android 2.3. Looking at the new features, this is no Froyo, but I am looking forward to an improved copy and paste experience.

Gingerbread 2.3 now provides support for NFC Near-field communications, however I don’t think the Nexus One hardware actually supports this.

So not many huge changes, but will be interesting to see the performance improvements.

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MiFi Problems

I have been having a few issues with my MiFi, in the main it keeps dropping connections and failing to allow devices to connect.

Now I think it is a battery life issue, once the device runs out of power, it drops the 3G connection and the wifi stops working. The lights on it are never that clear about what the status, but the browser configuration (once connected) seems to work fine.

Now my MiFi is an original Novatel model and I’ve not updated any firmware since I got it, so that’s on my list of things to try.

Generally though when it does work, it works a treat. I also like that if push comes to shove I can use it as a 3G dongle via a USB cable.

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Making iPhone ringtones

There are various apps you can buy for making ringtones for your iPhone, however if you have a Mac, you can very easily use Garageband to do exactly this, it will also very easily move the ringtone from Garageband to iTunes and then it can be synced to your iPhone.

First create your ringtone in Garageband. I have used music from my iTunes collection by dragging it in and cropping the track to the piece that I want to use as a ringtone. You could of course record a ringtone, use Apple loops to compose a ringtone, or even use the different iLife effects to create a soundeffect ringtone.

Once you are happy with your ringtone, from the menu

Share -> Send Ringtone to iTunes

Basically that’s it.

Simple.

Of course it can much easier on other phones that allow you to use music tracks or mp3 files straight off as ringtones!

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Upgraded

Took the plunge and decided to upgrade my copies of iPhoto and iMovie to the new versions. I bought the new versions from the Mac App Store. The whole process was simple and seamless with the downloads of 600MB each not taking a huge amount of time, thanks to my fast FTTC connection. I wouldn’t envy anyone trying to do this on a slow ADSL connection (like what I use to have) as it would take an age. Actually think about downloading Call of Duty 4 from the Mac App Store which comes in at a weighty 6.85GB.

I do like the functionalty of the new App Store, it is easy (almost too easy) to download apps and install them. I think Apple is onto a winner here.

Of course the App Store applications (and to be honest most OS X updates) can be very large and this means that you do need to have a fast broadband connection with a large limit. The same can be said for iTunes downloads too. It is very easy now to reach any limit your ISP places on you.

So what of the versions of iPhoto and iMovie, well quite like some of the new features of iPhoto though it doesn’t seem as zippy as the previous version. The navigation as you edit or view images does seem more intuitive than it did before.

Still have not really had a chance to play with the new version of iMovie, but pleased to see that it has enhanced audio editing tools as that was causing me a few headaches with the previous version.

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iPhone Portable Wifi Hotspot


One of the real benefits of running Froyo on my Google Nexus One has been the facility to use it as a portable wifi hotspot. I’m not sure how long I will be able to do this for now, as T-Mobile have recently changed their terms and conditions on using their network for internet. I do have a Web n Walk Plus extra on my (legacy) T-Mobile contract. Though if T-Mobile decide to withdraw that, I need to think about how I can connect to the internet whilst mobile. Instead of the Google Nexus One, I can always use my MiFi, with which I use a PAYG Three SIM card.

In the US, Apple have announced they are going to release a new version of the iPhone for the Verizon network. Now I am not going to use that, but in the detail, it has emerged that the Verizon iPhone will now be able to do a similar portable wifi hotspot trick that a Froyo Android device can do. Before this “tethering” with the iPhone was restricted to a single device and didn’t work with the iPad. An iPad would work with the iPhone acting as a portable wifi hotspot.

So at this time, I am thinking that if Apple (as is expected) release a new iPhone in the summer, and the UK telcos play along, I will be able to use the iPhone as a portable wifi hotspot. What would be nicer if they added it as an upgrade for the existing iPhone 4.

Update

According to MacRumors and other sites it looks like that Apple are prepping a 4.3 upgrade that will allow existing GSM iPhones to have the portable wifi hotspot feature.

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Limit reached…

Last month I got very close to reaching my broadband cap. The account I have with Plusnet (a legacy account) has a limit of 80GB. When I had my ADSL connection I never got close to the limit. Having upgraded my connection to FTTC (fibre) and having 37Mb/s download speed means it is now much easier for me to reach the limit.

I know that I got close to the limit due to the holiday season, spending a lot of time at home meant not only was I using the connection a lot, but the family were also streaming a lot of video too. BBC iPlayer is great for catching up with programmes you have missed, but also means using a lot of data.

One of the features of Plusnet I like is that the cap does not apply to downloads between 12am and 8am. This is great for downloading stuff from iTunes, but less useful for streaming BBC iPlayer content. I usually watch BBC iPlayer content through the TV, it has BBC iPlayer built in, however it doesn’t allow me to download BBC content and play back later, I have to stream live!

The other problem I am having is that scheduling iTunes downloads is problematic.

Prior to getting FTTC I could before I went to bed I could set iTunes to download movies and TV programmes knowing that the majority of the download would be during the cap free period between 12 and 8. However FTTC is so fast that it only takes ten minutes to download a movie from iTunes so generally I download when I wake up and not when I go to bed (I am usually in bed before midnight). What I would prefer to do is let iTunes download any big purchases after midnight. It’s not just movies but also some iPad apps are in excess of 500MB. I would also download OS X and Windows updates overnight, again with my old connection the majority of the download would take place in the cap free time, now with the faster connection it’s done very quickly.

Luckily Plusnet provide a decent tool for measuring how much data I have used and also warn me when I get close.

However this does show that ISPs need to rethink their bandwidth caps once more people can get FTTC.