This content is 11 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
In an attempt to close some tabs in my browser and transfer some notes to blog form, another “short takes” post…
Deleting paired Bluetooth devices from a Volkswagen MFD
The advice is for a 2012 Passatt but it worked for my Tiguan and probably for a Golf, etc. too (there’s a maximum of 4 connected devices – although only one can be active at any one time):
“Go to the Phone on the center information panel
Go to Users and you will the the phone names
Scroll to the phone you want to remove
Push the OK button on the steering wheel
You will be offered some options, scroll down to Delete and hit OK”
Incidentally, Know Your VW is a useful site (although it is intended for the North American market).
Patience required inserting a Micro SD card in a Tesco Hudl
After buying my Tesco Hudl a few weeks ago, I decided to get a memory card to expand the on board capacity (e.g. cary more music/video with me). Of course, Tesco is the last place I want to buy accessories like that and I picked up twice the capacity for half the price (or something like that) at MyMemory.co.uk.
This content is 11 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
As this post goes out, my beloved Bianchi C2c Via Nirone 7 should have just emerged from the workshop after its first service. Strava says I’ve ridden it for around 1200km and, as I rack up some miles in my training for several events this year (London-Paris in June, Wakefield to Manchester over Holme Moss in July, and the Ride London-Surrey 100 in August), it seems a good to point to take it back to Epic Cycles to give it a once over…
I’ve also got a few open tabs in my browser with cycling-related bits and pieces I mean to blog about… so here’s a special cycling-themed “short takes” blog post…
Editing GPX files
Every now and again, it’s bound to happen… you forget to stop the cycle computer/app on the smartphone and the resulting GPS eXchange format (GPX) file has a block in the middle where you were waiting for your mates to arrive/sitting in a coffee shop/whatever. Then there are times when the GPS goes haywire and thinks you did 87.8kph down a hill, or when it just straight-lines a corner. In those instances, you might want to edit the file.
We’re off to Centre Parcs later this year, and I needed to provide details of our bikes (useful for insurance purposes too). Once again, I was searching for the serial number for my mountain bike and, once again, it was eluding me so, whilst it’s unlikely to apply to everyone who reads this blog, here’s the link to Trek’s advice on where to find your bike’s serial number.
This content is 11 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
Woah… where did the last three months go? It’s Milton Keynes Geek Night (@MKGeekNight) again tomorrow and I haven’t blogged about the last one yet (for that matter I can’t find my notes – in Evernote, OneNote, Keep, or anywhere else). It’s a good job I don’t rely on this blogging lark for a living…
Luckily, the MKGN team have details of past talks on the website and the audio was recorded for posterity too. As always, all of the speakers were great – but I particularly enjoyed hearing Christian Payne (@documentally), who I’ve followed for a while on Twitter, gave a really engaging talk about Storymaking.
So, who’s talking this time around? Keynotes are from:
Andrew Clarke (@Malarkey) on the (I imagine somewhat provocatively titled) subject of “take your stinking paws off my design you damn dirty developers”.
Relly Annett-Baker (@RellyAB) on “future perfect tense: creating good content for an impefect web” (I think Relly has been promised before – so looking forward to hearing her at MKGN #8).
Then, there are 5 minute talks from:
Jeremy Taylor (@jdt_me), talking about “distributing the future more evenly, with JavaScript”.
James Bavington (@jamesbavington), on the topic of “knowing you know nothing”.
This content is 11 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
Once or twice a month, I travel to Manchester for work. I usually get around by tram (Metrolink) when I’m there – there’s a stop close to our office and its convenient for travel to/from my hotel and the railway station.
Manchester’s tram system is being upgraded at the moment and, last week, I was amused by posters asking passengers to “bear with us whilst we make Victoria posh”:
Spotted this at a Manchester tram stop… is this what is meant by straight-talking Northerners? pic.twitter.com/NB7lcianEu
As much as my southern sensibilities (actually, I’m from the East Midlands) cringe at the idea of “making something posh”, in fairness to Metrolink, they do have a great series of communications around their project (and whoever is responsible clearly has a sense of humour). One of my favourites is reproduced below:
“Dear [customers] It can be fast. It can be slow. You can measure it in feet, inches, weeks, months and years. And, occasionally, in leaps and bounds. It’s going to take a little time. And a lot of hard work. But, rest assured, it is moving forwards. Creating something better for us all. So thank you for your patience. And while our network is undergoing this transformation, we’ll keep you up-to-date with information.”
I like that poem, and I started to think about other applications for its use… something to consider for my next IT transformation project, perhaps – because good communications are vital to project success (and so many updates that I see are just dull walls of words).
This content is 11 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
This content is 11 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
After a couple of days I knew I’d made the right decision – I’ve been disappointed with Android on my phone but on a tablet it’s really usable (the Hudl uses Android 4.2.2 JellyBean) – and Tesco have provided an almost stock distribution. Even so, there are some “customisations” – a few apps and widgets to try and encourage more Tesco shopping, and a [T] launcher button in the bottom-left corner of the screen. The apps and widgets are easy enough to move out of sight, but I really wanted to lose the Tesco Launcher [T]…
Rooting the tablet
Step one is to “root” the operating system – i.e. to give myself full access to all of the files and folders on the device. Paul O’Brien (@paulobrien) has a great post on his MoDaCo forum on rooting the Hudl.
After scratching my head for a few minutes I realised I also needed to chmod 755 flashroot.hudl.linux.sh to make it executable. I tried the script again but this time the response was cannot execute binary file – it seems that the version of rkflashtool.linux included in the ROM download was for 64-bit Linux and my netbook only has a 32-bit installation.
Plan B
Being a good geek, I have a pile of media waiting to be “sorted out” including some Linux live CDs, so I fired that up on another PC and this time managed to flash the Hudl (I used an Ubuntu 13.10 live CD – CentOS 5.5 refused to play). If you’re having trouble getting the device into the right state, then check out Matt Foot (aka @glossywhite)’s advice on MoDaCo:
Turn Hudl off.
Connect via USB to PC.
Hold down Volume Up (+), push the reset button for one sec (recessed hole with gold dot in it) and continue holding the Volume Up button.
To check that this has put the Hudl in flashing mode, and to verify that it isn’t merely in charging mode, release Volume Up after around 10 seconds and tap once on the power button; if you see a battery, it has failed, so try again.
I found that the Live CD didn’t want to execute anything from a USB stick or local hard disk in the PC (Windows file systems), so I copied the following files to /home/ubuntu:
The device then restarted in charging mode, and I powered it up as usual. Paul’s instructions say to install SuperSU from the Google Play Store but it seemed to be installed already; however I did update it.
Using your method of choice, transfer the file to your device – I used Dropbox, and then selected the option to Export, then Save to SD card (Internal Storage) but others have suggested Bluetooth, or ADB.
Connect using your SSH client of choice (I used PuTTY) over a Wi-Fi connection to the Hudl.
Login as root, with password abc123
Issue the following commands: su mount -o remount,rw /system cp /system/app/SystemUI.apk SystemUI.mybackup.apk (I didn’t do this but it would have been sensible…) cp /storage/emulated/legacy/SystemUI.apk /system/app/SystemUI.apk
After this, the Hudl should reboot.
Following restart, the Tesco button should be gone – use Root Uninstaller to disable (not remove) the Hudl Updates package.
This content is 11 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
Over the weekend, my iPhone suddenly “forgot” how to access my email. I hadn’t changed the configuration (just left it on the kitchen counter for a while!) so I was pretty confused.
I tried to add an Exchange account for my Office 365 connection but it said I already had one and, sure enough… it was still there in Settings. So I turned to Twitter, where @TheoCarpenter came back with a suggestion:
@markwilsonit task kill the mail app. For some reason it likes to get hung up.
This content is 11 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
I’m not a big gamer, but I do have an Xbox 360 and there may be some video evidence on the ‘net of me sampling a game or two at an MVP event a few years back…
These days, much of the console’s use is from my children and, last weekend, my 9 year-old son was keen to buy Minecraft for the Xbox 360 after spotting it on sale in Sainsbury’s. After coming home and researching, including prices elsewhere, we decided that it was a good deal and I took him back the next day to buy a copy. One happy little boy.
Unfortunately, when we got home, I was having difficulty installing the game on the Xbox’s hard drive. I do this to avoid wear and tear on the DVD drive in the Xbox, as well as to keep down the noise whilst playing. I expect to supply the optical media to verify that we have a copy (for any piracy purposes) but, from then on, our games run from from the hard drive.
Unfortunately, that option didn’t seem to be available for Minecraft and it seems that it’s the same for all Xbox Live Arcade games. Ludicrous – bizarrely it’s possible to buy the game online and download it to the Xbox via that route (and it would have saved some of my son’s pocket money)! Unfortunately I don’t think this counts as “faulty” for return to the retailer…
This content is 11 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
Working for another Japanese technology giant, as I do, it’s easy to forget just how big Sony is in the consumer electronics space. Happily, in the UK, we don’t really compete (except maybe around PCs – and even then we focus on different markets). As news since my visit suggests that Sony is looking to dispose of its Vaio PC business and transform the TV business into a wholly owned subsidiary (perhaps to resolve the issue of the innovators’ dilemma?), I’m happy that I could learn about the sound and vision, photography and computing devices that Sony is bringing to market this year without any conflict of interest. And Sony started the evening off by telling us how they are concentrating on the user experience – on the best picture and sound quality – be that for televisions, cameras, projectors or other digital devices.
TV – forget 3D – 4K is where it’s at
It has to be said that Sony’s 4K TVs are stunning. I first saw 4K Ultra HD images whilst visiting The Design Museum late last year and my trip to Brooklands re-enforced my view – whether it’s for watching films or sport. Quite how I’ll be able to receive a 4K signal at my house is another issue (I have “up to 8Mbps” ADSL2) and whilst I like the idea of a 65″ TV, our living room is not really large enough… but hey! (It should be noted that Sony’s X-Reality processing engine can upscale some content too).
Watching a film (at @DesignMuseum) in 4K Ultra HD (3840×2160 pixels) – amazingly sharp (more than real life?!)
Sony explained some of the technologies that their mid-high end 2014 TVs feature and it’s clear that it’s no longer just about being “super slim”. The quest for enhanced picture and sound quality includes a range of technologies such as:
X-Reality PRO image enhancement for increased realism, texture and a more refined output
X-tended Dynamic Range – improved brightness, whilst retaining detail and colour.
Long duct speakers with a new wedge shape to increase speaker capacity and sound quality – including software to adjust the settings depending on whether the panel is wall or table mounted (wall-mounted units use the wall for reverberation – I pity the neighbours!)
Front mounted speakers on some models for better sound direction, a magnetic fluid system as coolant and conductor for efficient sound transfer – and an RF-connected subwoofer option for those who don’t want a 5.1 system.
ClearAudio+ sound processing, to separate dialogue from sound effects, reduce/increase sports commentary volume, or provide virtual surround sound.
And, when one Sony representative was asked a question about the future of 3D TV:
“Our focus is 4K”
I think that says it all really (the 3D glasses for my TV have never come out of their box)!
Smart viewing
I have a mid-range Samsung TV, which, on the whole I’ve been very pleased with but I do have to admit that the SmartHub is a little less smart than I would like at times. Clearly Sony seems Samsung as a leading competitor (their competitor comparison units are all Samsungs!) and, from what I saw of the developments in Sony’s Bravia software, it seems that they have a much better user interface – and an interesting approach to control with their “One-Flick”gesture-based remote (a standard remote is provided too). Whilst some of the apps seem a little gimmicky (e.g. “Football mode” for “less ghosting and more immersive viewing” because of Sony’s tie up with the 2014 World Cup), the usuals are there too (iPlayer, etc.) as well as Sony’s Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited services.
The features I found most interesting were Social Viewing (integrating social media use with television-watching, albeit with some issues around content filtering) and Photo share (using the TV as a hub to share images between devices, scanning a QR code or using NFC to connect, with no app required).
I also had some time to spend in Sony’s “network room” and whilst I have to say I was pretty impressed with the range of Vaio laptops in touch and non-touch forms (including the lightest ultrabook in Europe), all with NFC and some featuring ClearAudio+ (which really made a difference using the PC speakers), the potential sale of Sony’s PC business and my own professional IT links made these no more than a “ooo – that’s nice” view…
A few years ago, Sony bought Konica-Minolta’s digital imaging business and they’ve clearly used it to good effect, expanding the Sony range to cover everything from digital compacts to high-end DSLRs (and of course expanding their own range of digital still and video cameras). As a Nikon DSLR-shooter, I found the range confusing, with seemingly competing models using two different lens mount systems:
The A-mount is effectively the old Konica-Minolta system.
The E-mount is used by the modern, small form factor cameras.
Thankfully there are converters available, which means A-mount E-mount users can use adapters for Nikon and Canon lenses. I guess I’m a bit of a Luddite too – I like a solid full-frame DSLR with high quality (often heavy) glass up front and am unconvinced by the new ranges of small cameras with interchangeable lenses (possibly because I got burned by Minolta in the late-1990s with an interchangeable lens APS film camera!). Having said that, I increasingly find myself using the camera in my pocket (my phone) and it was interesting to see how Sony is enhancing the user experience with seamless integration between devices, including built-in NFC and Wi-Fi communications, together with iOS and Android PlayMemories apps for a range of photography uses). I was also impressed to see that Sony is really moving ahead with behind full-frame cameras – be that the DSC-RX1, the prosumer ?7/7R or the ?99. Indeed I’d be happy to have an RX1 as my carry-everywhere camera (albeit a rather pricey one!)
The last demonstration of the evening was focused on audio. I didn’t check out the high resolution audio systems (although I heard others doing so, and they certainly sounded good) – I was interested in something portable – like the Bluetooth and NFC SRS-BTS50 or the higher-end SRS-X5 unit. After all, when all you’re playing is compressed MP3 files, or music streamed from Spotify, it’s amazing how good it can sound on a small speaker setup. Then there were earphones, modern Walkman digital music players (I didn’t know that brand still existed but it seems you can get everything from a USB stick to an iPod competitor and even an MP3 Walkman built into a set of headphones!), clock radios, docking stations, DAB radios, all in one Hi-Fi systems – the works.
<tl;dr>
I’m pretty impressed with Sony’s consumer electronics plans for 2014. Sure, what geek wouldn’t be interested in huge super-high definition TVs, some smart PCs and wearable tech, a selection of imaging devices that meet the needs of most, if not all, consumers and some seriously big sounds. But it’s more than that. Maybe I drank the Sony Kool-Aid but I really did leave with the distinct impression that Sony is out to create a user experience that transcends devices and simply delivers the best picture and sound quality. If I didn’t already have a Samsung Smart TV, Apple and Samsung phones, a Lenovo PC, Nikon cameras and an Xbox 360, I might well be persuaded to make my next consumer electronics purchase one from Sony…
[Update 19 Feb 2014: corrected statement re: adapters for third party lenses with Sony cameras]
This content is 11 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
I’ve been using an Android phone for work for a few months now (a Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini: GT-I8190N) and, on the whole, I’ve been pretty disappointed. The user interface is clunky (and downright confusing at times) and the battery life terrible – but I’m also more than a little aware that there is a certain amount of OEM- or carrier-supplied software on the device and that a “stock” Android phone might be a little more “polished”.
I started to look into wiping the device and starting afresh but, after consulting with Dan Delaney (@dan_delaney), who knows more about this stuff than I do, I decided not to bother as it looked as though I’d need to root the device – something I’d be happy to do on my own phone but am not permitted to do on a company device that’s connected to our corporate infrastructure.
Even so, I’ve made a few tweaks over recent months that have slightly improved the experience, and I thought I’d make a note of them here…
First up, battery life. Three things that have made an enormous difference:
Firstly, I dropped the polling interval for email in the settings for TouchDown (the app used for ActiveSync connectivity to my Exchange email and calendar). Instead of push email, I poll every 10 minutes, or every hour during off-peak times (I have peak times set as 07:00-19:00 Monday to Friday).
Secondly, I removed the native ActiveSync connection to my Office 365 account as, between them, Exchange Services and TouchDown were drinking a lot of juice.
Finally, I installed the free Battery Doctor app, which not only intelligently charges the device but also watches out for apps that are draining the battery and gives me the ability to disable them.
Another change I made was to install the Android 4.4 Kit Kat Launcher. I may be stuck with Android “Jelly Bean” 4.1.2 but I can at least have some of the latest bits – although I now have such an odd collection of widgets that it looks a complete mess (sorry guys, Microsoft has tiles nailed in Windows/Windows Phone). The process for installing the Kit Kat parts is described on WonderHowTo and I have Google Play Services, Google Search and the Google Launcher all running happily now.
Still bogged down with Samsung and other bundled software, I decided to follow Jon Spriggs (@jontheniceguy)’s guide to stripping a UK O2 Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini down to the bare essentials. Jon’s guide is based on a “clean” device and mine has a load of extra apps I’ve installed, plus the customisations I mentioned earlier but I used it to disable some of the built in apps that I don’t use (if you can’t disable them, uninstall updates first, then the disable option should be available). Unfortunately, I can’t see how to hide the unused apps, now that I have changed the launcher!
My Android adventure continues… but it’s still very tempting to wipe the device and start again!
Every now and again, it’s bound to happen… you forget to stop the cycle computer/app on the smartphone and the resulting GPS eXchange format (GPX) file has a block in the middle where you were waiting for your mates to arrive/sitting in a coffee shop/whatever. Then there are times when the GPS goes haywire and thinks you did 87.8kph down a hill, or when it just straight-lines a corner. In those instances, you might want to edit the file.
Woah… where did the last three months go? It’s 
Just over a week ago, I bought a 
Even so, there are some “customisations” – a few apps and widgets to try and encourage more Tesco shopping, and a [T] launcher button in the bottom-left corner of the screen. The apps and widgets are easy enough to move out of sight, but I really wanted to lose the Tesco Launcher [T]…
These days, much of the console’s use is from my children and, last weekend, my 9 year-old son was keen to buy 
Sony explained some of the technologies that their mid-high end 2014 TVs feature and it’s clear that it’s no longer just about being “super slim”. The quest for enhanced picture and sound quality includes a range of technologies such as:
I’ve been using an Android phone for work for a few months now (a Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini: GT-I8190N) and, on the whole, I’ve been pretty disappointed. The user interface is clunky (and downright confusing at times) and the battery life terrible – but I’m also more than a little aware that there is a certain amount of OEM- or carrier-supplied software on the device and that a “stock” Android phone might be a little more “polished”.